RWBY: Sunshine and Shadows: In The Meantime
by RejectedKnight34
Summary: A collection of short stories and chapters featuring the characters from the Sunshine and Shadows AU (S/S AU). Many chapters will detail the lives of the characters during the time-skip before Part II. Some, however, will be during or before S/S Part I. I will continue to update with multiple short stories as I continue writing. (White Rose, Bumblebee, Arkos, Pink Lotus)
1. In Which Jaune Gets Pyrrha Back

_Author's Note: Well, I said that it might be a day or two or it might be less. I just couldn't stop my hands from typing! I LOVE THIS STORYLINE AS MUCH AS YOU GUYS DO! Anyway, this story is a collection of short stories that will detail the lives of Teams RWBY and JNPR (and SSSN and CFVY) and some of the other characters before Part II. They won't necessarily be in any chronological order. The next chapter will be Blake's proposal and the chapter after that will be some Velvet/Yatsu fluff. There will be a Pink Lotus chapter and probably an Arkos chapter. I'm going to avoid and overly sexual stuff for these chapters, just as a headsup. Don't worry though! There will be more smut in Part II._

_Thank you guys, sincerely, for all of the amazing feedback you've given me. I hope you enjoy this short interlude before Part II begins. Make sure to follow this story, because I might add to it here and there. Any one-shots I write that fit into this AU will be added to this story._

_-Adam Beck_

**_Keep Moving Forward_**

* * *

**24 Days After Cinder's Invasion**

Almost a month had passed since Cinder's invasion and Ruby was finally being released from the hospital. The doctors weren't too happy about it, but being a big damn hero had its perks. Ruby had asked Jaune how he wanted to do it, and he'd decided that the only person he wanted there was Ruby. Ruby understood and Pyrrha's anticipation danced across the Gauntlet as traces of Maroon's light. She was eager to return to her body. Ruby would miss the feeling of the young huntress's presence, but she was also looking forward to gaining her friend back. Pyrrha and Ruby had never been that close, but after her time in the Gauntlet, they'd gotten used to each other's company.

Pyrrha could only communicate through emotions and the occasional mental image, so Ruby would have a one-sided conversation and Pyrrha would do her best to answer using what was available to her. Ruby patted the Gauntlet as the doctors did one final check up on her. Knowing how Ozpin would feel, Ruby had expressly forbidden the doctors from poking and prodding at the armor that adorned her right arm. Dr. Doireann and Dr. Turtleton finished their final examinations and unhooked the last electrode from Ruby's chest.

"Well, everything checks out, Miss Rose," said the shorter, dark-haired man. "If you begin to feel weak or dizzy, I want you to call us, okay?" Ruby nodded and the younger, dark-skinned surgeon reached out to fistbump Ruby.

He and Ruby grinned at each other. "You take care now, Ruby. Okay? You're an amazing young woman. I like you enough to hope I never see you again."

"Got it, Turtlehead." The surgeon laughed and Jim cocked his head to the side, lost in one of his fantasies.

Ruby and Dr. Turtleton rolled their eyes and Ruby leaned over to flick him on the nose. "You were imagining him with a turtle's head, weren't you?" Ruby asked.

"Dude, you'd look great with a turtle's head. But I got dibs on your shell," was Jim's non sequitur. Turtleton shook his head and draped his arm over his friend's shoulder.

"Come on, JD, let's go. Take care, Ruby!" The two doctors exited the room and Ruby set to work changing into the outfit that Weiss had brought her: dark black jeans and a white t-shirt with a black Schnee logo on the right breast. As she laced up her knee-high black combat boots, she heard a small knock at the door.

Jaune stood, smiling shyly at Ruby. As always he walked up and kissed her hand gently, saying his hello to Pyrrha first. Ruby blushed lightly and grinned at Jaune. The boy had this new confident charm about him and Ruby found it almost irresistible. "Jaune Arc, if we both weren't already claimed, I think I'd scoop you up myself," Ruby said, giggling softly. Her Gauntlet pulsed and a sharp electrical pain ran through her arm. "Ouch! Sorry, Pyrrha. I'll keep my eyes to myself. Yeesh." She rolled her eyes at Jaune and they grinned.

Jaune held his arm out and Ruby took it, wobbling only slightly after nearly a month in bed. He guided her down the hall to Pyrrha's room. A young nurse finished checking up on Pyrrha before exiting the room. Jaune went over to the comatose body of his girlfriend. Even after several weeks in a hospital bed, fed by IVs and being poked and prodded by needles, Pyrrha still looked as beautiful as ever. Her olive skin had paled slightly and she'd lost weight from the slight malnutrition, but that would soon turn around. Ruby was uncertain of what to do. Was there supposed to be a ceremony? Should she say a few words? The Gauntlet hummed and Ruby decided to trust the device.

Jaune held Pyrrha's hand and Ruby started at her feet. She ran the gauntlet over the body and Pyrrha's soul clamored in desperation. As Ruby reached her chest, the Gauntlet suddenly lit up with bright red energy. The device seemed to come to life on its own and Ruby found herself pressing the armor against Pyrrha's chest. Closing her eyes, Ruby reached out mentally and the Gauntlet linked to her psyche. She saw a small, ghostly Pyrrha standing on her forearm. She wore a red dress, the same that she'd sported at the prom, and she smiled at Ruby. With a deep bow, Pyrrha turned and ran along Ruby's arm before jumping off of her fingers and back into her own body.

Ruby opened her eyes and Pyrrha's fluttered open as well. Sucking in a deep breath, Pyrrha coughed and weakly reached out to Jaune. He was there in a heartbeat, holding her and comforting her. Ruby stepped back and smiled at the two.

When Jaune turned to thank Ruby, the girl was gone. Jaune smiled and thanked her, mentally, before turning back to the freshly revived girl in his arms. Pyrrha was crying now and Jaune hugged her tightly. Pyrrha buried her face in her boyfriend's shoulder. "I missed you so much, Jaune. It was so dark for so long. I never thought I'd see you again. It was awful. Every time she used my powers, I felt it eat at me a little more. I think…" She took a deep, shuddering breath. "I think that if I'd stayed there any longer, she would've used me up until there was nothing left."

"It's over now, Pyrrha. Ruby saved you."

Pyrrha nodded fiercely and kissed Jaune's cheek, her tears still streaming down her face. A soft thumb wiped them away and she found her face being caressed by Jaune's gentle touch. She leaned into his hand, joy and peace overtaking the darkness that had haunted her. "I love you, Jaune."

"I love you, too, Pyrrha."

They held each other for a long time, occasionally kissing, until a nurse interrupted with water for Pyrrha.

Outside, Ruby smiled gently and thanked the nurse when she exited the room. As she walked towards the exit, she saw Weiss waiting for her. The heiress smiled when she saw Ruby and immediately took her hand. As their fingers interlaced, the white-haired girl felt her fingers brush the ring she'd given to Ruby. She smiled and leaned her head on the now-taller girl's shoulder. "How is my big hero holding up?"

Ruby turned her head and kissed Weiss's hair. "It'll be weird, not having Pyrrha constantly there, but I'm glad she's back for real. How are you? You didn't tell me that you'd been poisoned. Jim had to tell me."

Weiss flushed red and avoided Ruby's accusing stare. "It wasn't that big of a deal. I was only in the hospital for three days." She fidgeted with Ruby's fingers and the taller girl sighed and leaned into Weiss.

"I'm glad you ended up being okay."

"Me too."

As they walked back to their dorm, Weiss finally brought up what she'd been avoiding for twenty-four days. "So…two years…"

Ruby stiffened, dreading what she thought was next. "Y-yeah…?"

"You're taller."

"I am."

Weiss looked down at the ring that adorned Ruby's finger and the one that sat upon her own. When she'd stepped through the portal, dressed for war and ragged from months of training, the ring was the only part of her that shone as brightly as the day Weiss had given it to her.

"You're the same age as me now."

"Weiss…" Ruby choked up slightly, afraid of what her girlfriend was leading up to.

"Your boobs are bigger."

Ruby stopped and gaped at Weiss. "That's what you're concerned about?" she asked incredulously. "Gods, Weiss, I thought you were trying to break some horrible news to me about us not being able to be together anymore or something like that."

Weiss raised an eyebrow and giggled. "Well, if your boobs get any bigger, we might have to talk."

"Oh, please. You'd never survive without me." Ruby elbowed Weiss and the pair dissolved into laughter.

As they approached their dorm, Weiss turned to Ruby. "Hey, one favor, in all seriousness."

Ruby turned and gave Weiss a sideways look, curious as to the sudden shift into serious-mode. "Okay?"

"Don't make me have to survive without you. I almost lost you once, don't make me lose you again." Weiss's hand clenched Ruby's shirt and she stood up on her tip-toes, leaning into Ruby, their lips pressing together softly. Ruby's arms enveloped the now-smaller girl and she deepened the kiss. A moment later, they pulled apart and Ruby cocked her head to the side, channeling her inner Yang, she grinned at Weiss.

"I promise, Weiss."


	2. In Which Pyrrha Decides to Have Some Fun

_**Yarr, maties! I be back from me cruise! I hear tell that ye be missin' ol' me, so I's decided to stop by and give ye a piece o' warnin'. Due to unforeseen happenin's, the author has decided ta change the ratin' o' this story to "M", as in "Matey, this story now be containin' smut!" He's asked me ta let you yella-bellied snot-snouted codpieces know that this chapter be not fer the youngin's ta read. Oh, hells, that be the local law enforcement! Ye would think that a small mutiny be not a matter in the eyes of the world, but ye would be wrong! I must fight! ...to run away! I'll be seein' ya soon, ye faithful readers, after I lose these here pirate racists! AWAY WITH YE!**_

* * *

**35 Days After Cinder's Invasion**

Jaune gently picked Pyrrha up from where she stood, scooping her up into his noticeably-bigger arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head into his chest, smiling. The young man kissed her hair and carried her into their dorm. At the request of nearly all of Teams RWBY and JNPR, the two dorms next door to their originals were now vacant. Each couple from both teams would now have their own room to share with their lover. Jaune had taken the time to move all of his and Pyrrha's stuff from their old dorm to their new one.

With Pyrrha secure in his arms, Jaune very carefully kicked the door in and carried her over the threshold. The room was set up similarly to their old dorm, although a large king-sized bed replaced their two twin-sized beds and the extra space was taken up by a large armoire and weapon rack.

Jaune walked straight to the bed and leaned down, laying Pyrrha gently against the sheets. She kept her arms wrapped around his neck, staring into his eyes as he smoothly ran his hand from her back to her thigh, lifting her leg up.

She wore only sweatpants and a t-shirt, but Jaune still thought her beautiful. She had finally been released from the hospital and Jaune was determined to make sure that she was well cared for. He had no illusions, his girlfriend could easily kick his ass any day of the week, but he loved how she sat back and let him dote upon her. It was the perfect blend of give and take. Everyone could see that she was strong, but no one thought that she was settling anymore. She and Jaune were partners, equally invested in each other. Besides, behind closed doors, she could be whatever he wanted her to be. Today, she decided to just relax and let Jaune be the big man, doting on his beloved.

She was still too weak to walk very far and her medicines needed to be carefully monitored, but the doctors said that as long as she and Jaune were careful, they would be just fine going home. Jaune stroked Pyrrha's pale cheek. Her olive skin had adopted a pasty hue and her eyes were dull. It seemed as if all of the vibrancy had been drained out of her. However, she still smiled and if she had the strength, she would often pull Jaune into a surprisingly tight embrace.

Now they were home and alone at last. Jaune wanted desperately to rip her clothes off and ravish her right then and there, and Pyrrha wanted nothing more than to be ravished, but Jaune was a kind and gentle soul and he wouldn't risk her health. So they found themselves wrapped tightly in their blankets, simply enjoying the sensation of being together physically once more.

As their lips pressed together for the hundredth time that day, Pyrrha moaned gently. Jaune pulled away and looked at her, worried that he'd done something wrong. When he caught Pyrrha's gaze, her face was red and she her soft breathing was erratic. She gazed lustfully into Jaune's eyes and pulled him back to her before he could ask if she needed another dose of her medicine. Their lips crashed together again and as Pyrrha took control, Jaune found himself fighting a losing battle against a woman who had been injured in battle, nearly killed, had her soul stolen, was kept in captivity inside of an evil mastermind while her body wasted away, and then kept inside a slightly different cell as she waited to be transferred back. She was pent-up from the month-and-a-half of being bodiless and she wanted Jaune to touch her and make love to her.

_Dammit, Jaune, don't worry about my health; I want you to mount me like a lioness!_ "_Sex me into a coma!"_ It took Pyrrha a full ten seconds before she realized she'd muttered the second sentence out loud. "Oh, gods, Jaune…I…I am so sorry."

Jaune raised his eyebrows in surprise. Pyrrha flushed deep scarlet and tried to turn away but Jaune started to laugh and held her there, his lips finding her forehead. He brushed her cheek with his thumb and then hesitated only a moment before he attacked Pyrrha's lips with his own. Her soft skin melted against his and she tasted sweet against his tongue. She ran her hands through his hair and pulled him closer and deeper into her passionate embrace. Jaune, sweet as he was, was going too slow for Pyrrha.

She pulled back slightly and whispered breathily against his neck and into his ear, "Come on, Jaune. Please. I want you so badly." She desperately pawed at his chest, pulling on his hoodie and quickly running her fingers over his skin.

"Pyrrha, I…" Jaune started, but the look of desperation and need in his lover's eyes won him over. "Okay, okay. You win, Pyrrha. You always do."

She smiled softly and quickly tugged at the black material that covered her boyfriend's torso. He shrugged the garment off and Pyrrha got a good look at just how muscular Jaune had become. She ran her hands over his chest and her cool touch brought goosebumps to Jaune's skin. Warm lips followed cool skin, however, as Pyrrha kissed his chest. Jaune, ever so gently, tugged at Pyrrha's shirt and she let it slide off. Jaune ran his hands through her unbound hair as they pressed their bodies together, kissing each other deeply.

Jaune reached down with one hand, the other still twined through deep red locks. As his hand reached Pyrrha's thigh, her legs tensed and clenched instinctively and she gasped, breathily. Jaune could feel the moistness through the sweatpants, and he knew she'd been anticipating this for a long while now. "Jaune…" she whispered, her eyes closed and lips parted sensually. As his fingers crawled their way under the elastic waistband of her sweats he realized that she was not wearing any underwear. Pyrrha bit her lip coyly and looked at Jaune, her eyes innocent and yet alluring at the same time. He pulled her closer to him and as his hand brushed her sex, she buried her face in his neck, breathing heavier.

Her pants and moans as her pleasured her were wildly erotic and Jaune soon found himself trying everything in his power to make this orgasm the best one she'd ever had. As she rode his hand, she reached down and fumbled with the button on his jeans before finally freeing it and unzipping them. She reached down and gently took his member into her hand. As she stroked, Jaune shivered and found himself mirroring Pyrrha, his face buried in the crook of her neck. "P-Pyrrha…" he whispered softly, the name ending in a slight moan.

They lay together for a long while, slowly edging each other closer and closer to the brink before easing off, leaving both breathless and flushed red. Finally, with the sheets still tightly wrapped around them, Pyrrha managed to kick off the sweatpants. She slid up Jaune's body, placing her hands on his chest as she eased herself down, reaching with one hand to help guide him in. Her eyes widened in pleasure and she let out a small gasp before her face settled into a lazy smile. She lay back against Jaune and he brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. Lazy thrusts accented by the occasional gasp or moan from the two partners filled the passing time as the lovers gently took their time. Pyrrha's tightened grip on Jaune's skin was answered by deeper thrusts and as the waves of ecstasy crashed down on Pyrrha, she collapsed against her man. Jaune held her close as he slowed his movements, letting her recover.

She propped herself up, staring into Jaune's eyes. He smiled his dorky smile and she crashed her lips against him, frantically kissing the love of her life. Her hands ran over his cheeks, neck, and shoulders as she caressed him and his knuckles gently brushed over her soft, olive skin. As their kissing become more frantic, Pyrrha took the lead and rode Jaune until he, too, climaxed.

Jaune collapsed back against the bed, his throat dry and his mind fuzzy. Pyrrha lay against him, using her feet to push his jeans down so they could lay, skin on slick skin. Jaune's arms wrapped around Pyrrha securely and she sighed, contentedly. "I love you, Jaune," she whispered, happily.

"I love you, more, Pyrrha," was his reply.

She snuggled her head into his chest and shook it gently. "I love you most."

He let it slide, smiling as he stroked her skin as she slowly slipped into a deep, satisfied sleep.

* * *

_Author's Note: This chapter was supposed to come out the day after the first one, but between a lack of creative inspiration and receiving hacking and death threats, I had to postpone it. I hope you all enjoy the chapter. I want to warn you that if this person succeeds in hacking my account, I will have to set up a new one, which could take...gods, forever... Anyway, wish me luck!_


	3. In Which Blake Formally Proposes

**8 Days After Cinder's Invasion**

Things were starting to settle down around the Kingdom and repairs had been started. Cinder's Invasion had left hundreds of Atlesian and Valean soldiers' deaths. The student body had taken considerably fewer casualties, but there were still deaths. However, the citizens of the Four Kingdoms united and helped to rebuild and recover. The wound of war cut deep, but the close friendship would soon mend the gap.

Blake and Yang walked together, hand-in-hand, from the hospital. Ruby was stable and Weiss hadn't left her side for a moment. This had afforded Blake a lot of free time to think about the future. After the Festival, and what happened to Yang, Blake was more certain than ever about what she wanted to do. She had spoken to Ozpin about it and he had given her his blessing. She really wanted to ask Taiyang, Yang's father, but after he'd gone missing, that wasn't really an option. She decided that she would rather beg forgiveness than ask permission.

Her fingers intertwined with Yang's, and she enjoyed the surprisingly soft feeling of her lover's skin. As her thumb ran across Yang's knuckles, Yang looked up into sky and sighed, rubbing the back of her head with her other hand. Blake leaned into the taller girl and Yang grinned. She released Blake's hand and draped her arm over the lithe girl's shoulders. "Whatcha thinkin' about, kitten?" Yang asked, nonchalantly.

Blake laughed softly, "What makes you think I'm thinking anything in particular?"

Yang shook her head and flashed her teeth at the dark-haired girl. Scratching in-between her ears, Yang replied, "Your ears twitch and your eyebrows furrow in an extremely adorable way."

Blake purred lightly. "That's…probably true," she acquiesced. She elbowed Yang and pushed away from the tall blonde. "Hey, Yang? I think I left something back at the hospital. You go on ahead, okay?"

Yang raised an eyebrow but didn't push the subject. Leaning in, she kissed Blake softly. As their lips met, Blake's heart fluttered and she suddenly felt faint. She steeled herself and pulled Yang closer. Breaking apart for only a moment to breathe, the two lovers' lips crashed together again, passionately. Blake let Yang go and Yang stumbled backwards, surprised by Blake's ferocity as much as Blake herself was. Blake pushed Yang away playfully. "Go on, you. I'll meet you back at our room, okay?"

Yang nodded, still dizzy, and teetered off comically. Blake covered her laugh with her hand before turning around. Her expression slowly set into stony determination. A solitary everfall tree leaf fluttered through the air. Blake snatched it with her cat-like reflexes and she inhaled the sweet scent. She knew how she wanted to do it now.

* * *

"Weiss," Blake said from the doorway, "I need your help."

* * *

Yang sat on the edge of the new king-sized bed that had replaced the treacherous bunk beds. Blake and Yang had kept the old dorm, while Weiss had claimed the new one across from Jaune and Pyrrha.

She collapsed backwards onto the sheets and stared at the ceiling, seeing patterns in the spackled whiteness. She grabbed one of the pillows and held it close. Her mind filled with images of Blake. She remembered every time that the smaller girl had kissed her. From her neck to her hands to lower, softer skin, Yang thought of every time that those slender lips had graced her own, fiery skin. The brawler fidgeted and checked the wall clock. _Fifty-five minutes. Almost an hour. Where is she?_

As if on cue, Yang's scroll dinged with a new message. She fumbled frantically and opened the device.

_Yang,_

_ Please meet me by the center fountain in Silver Square. Wear something nice._

_ -Weiss_

Yang sighed. _Weiss? Why would Weiss want to see me?_ She pulled herself up and went to the closet. _And why does she want me dressed up? _Yang shrugged, donned the dress she'd worn for prom, applied a light amount of makeup and red lipstick, and then left the room, locking the door behind her. As she disappeared down the hall, Ren poked his head out of the doorway.

"Yes," he said into his scroll, softly. "Understood."

* * *

The sun was beginning to set as Yang entered the courtyard of Silver Square. The name was a bit misleading, as the entire square burned with a red-orange light from the everfall trees that reflected off of the shiny metal park benches, fountains, and artistic sculptures. The trees, contained in planters, accented the square at even intervals, and the evening sunlight set the entire square ablaze. It was a popular place for couples and Yang knew that Blake had come here more than once during their first semester. It was Blake's favorite place to read, outside of Yang's lap.

Yang soon spotted the heiress. She was dressed in a long, crimson gown that beautifully highlighted her hair and complimented her pale skin. The oldest member of Team RWBY raised an eyebrow and walked up to the heiress. "You, uh, you look beautiful, Weiss," she said, awkwardly.

Weiss actually blushed and fidgeted with her hands. "Thanks, Yang. You, too."

"So, where is she?"

Yang's perceptiveness completely threw Weiss off guard and she looked up at Yang, apologetically. "That easy to figure out, huh?" Weiss sighed and stepped backwards as Jaune, Ren, Sun, and Neptune all stepped out from behind trees or fountains, wearing their tuxes. They all formed a wall on either side of Yang. Nora was tangled up in Ren's arms, wearing a surprisingly striking black gown. She grinned and elbowed Ren, who smiled at Yang.

Yang blinked and turned around, seeing Scarlet and Sage, also dressed up, fall into line beside Sun and Neptune. The boys looked very uncomfortable in their suits, although Sage smiled deeply at the blonde who had suddenly become the center of attention.

As Yang whirled around, staring at Weiss who stood in front of the fountain, she opened her mouth to speak, when a soft voice spoke up behind her.

"Hello, Yang."

Yang turned and saw Blake standing at the other end of the group. Professors Cole and Lapis stood on either side of her, both in formalwear.

She was stunning in the evening light. She had light purple eyeshadow and subtle black lip gloss accenting her features. Yang's gaze drifted downwards to see that she was wearing a flowing, white gown. A small purple bow held her long black tresses into place and her cat ears twitched slightly. She slowly walked towards Yang and as she neared, Yang realized that Blake must be wearing very high heels because she stared straight into the Faunus's eyes.

Blake gently cleared her throat and took Yang's hands. "I, uh, wanted to apologize for disappearing, but after all of the craziness of the past few days, it's made me realize that I can't put this off any longer."

"Blake, kitten, what is this?" Yang asked in a hushed tone. She stared into Blake's amber eyes and the Faunus smiled, placing a hand on Yang's cheek.

"Yang Xiao Long," Blake began, and Yang could already feel the tears welling up. Just the way she said her name was full of love and sweetness and—_Dust, can I just interrupt her to kiss her right now?_

"Since the day I met you, you have been the truest of friends. You encouraged your little sister to try and be friends with me and despite my…hesitation," Weiss and Blake shared a small smile at that, "you made it happen. Now, thanks to that seemingly small act, I have gained bonds that are stronger than any I've ever had before, bonds that will last a lifetime. When you first found out about my secret, you kept it for so long. I know how hard that must've been for you," Yang raised an eyebrow and Blake softly kissed her cheek. "Thank you. When I ran away, you didn't give up until you'd found me, even if Ruby did technically find me first."

Blake placed another kiss on Yang's cheek. "Thank you." The Faunus took Yang's hands and looked down at them. "Every day, you've challenged me to be the best I can be. Every day, you've loved me harder than the day before and every day, I've found myself falling deeper and deeper in love with you."

Yang sniffed and Blake wiped away a lone tear that had fallen from the young woman's face. Behind her, Azura sniffed loudly and Cole elbowed her, eliciting quiet laughter from the group.

"Yang Xiao Long, I have grown into the person I am today, and into the Huntress I am today, because of you. I was able to face my past and overcome my demons because of you. I was able to fall in love and gather the courage to do this..." she motioned with her right hand and Azura stepped forward, tears staining her cheeks. In her hand, she held a small, wooden box, hand carved with elaborate designs.

"Yang Xiao Long, I want to spend every day of my life with you. I you to be the first thing I see when I wake up and I want you to be the last thing I see when I fall asleep. When I see the future, I see you. I see us. I see kids and a house, and at least one of us hunting monsters while the other tells wildly exaggerated stories to our children about what the other is doing. I see waffles and pancakes in the morning, and I see tuna at night."

Yang smiled and laughed softly before wiping her face again.

"Yang," Blake plucked the box from Azura's grasp. "Will you marry me?"

Blake didn't get down on one knee. She knew that Yang wouldn't want that. There was no need for theatrics or grandiose groveling. She stared deep into Yang's tear-filled lilac eyes and opened the box.

Inside sat a thick golden band. Blake swirls laced around the band, knotting and curling across the piece of jewelry. In the center of the topmost of the band sat a jewel encrusted yin-yang symbol. One side was white diamond, the other was black onyx. Yang's hand flew to her mouth and she took a step back. Her gaze flew up to Blake and as their eyes met, Yang stepped forwards and grabbed Blake in one of her signature bear hugs.

Their lips collided and Yang kissed Blake furiously before releasing the now-breathless woman. "Yes, Blake, yes! Always and forever, yes!" Her lips found Blake's again, desperately trying to say a million things at once with the contact. She poured all of her love and desire and acceptance and want and passion into the next kiss, desperate to show Blake through the simple contact of two pairs of lips, the depth of emotion she felt for the young Faunus.

As Blake disentangled her fingers from Yang's blonde hair, she giggled and slipped the ring around Yang's finger. No sooner was the ring on, than Blake was being twirled around in the air by Yang. The brawler laughed with giddy glee and pulled the smaller girl into her arms. "I love you, Blake! I love you so much!"

They kissed again and several of the onlookers rolled their eyes, but every single one of them had a big, stupid grin plastered across their faces.

"I wish Ruby and Pyrrha could've been here," Blake murmured into Yang's ear.

"They'll just have some good news when they wake up," was Yang's soft reply. She scooped the Faunus up into her arms and spun around. "Thank you all, seriously, for this!" she called out.

Soft applause broke out and as Yang grinned at everyone, Blake mouthed at Weiss, _thank you._

Weiss smiled and curtsied slightly. The heiress's face broke out into a grin as Yang nuzzled Blake and their noses rubbed together. Several small kisses, nose rubs, and twirls later, Yang quickly waved at the group of friends that had gathered and almost danced all the way back to their dorm room.

Crossing the threshold, Yang let Blake down on her feet and kissed her deeply. "I love you, Blake," she said, a soft tone of seriousness seeping into her voice.

"I think you said that," was Blake's reply. She grinned and brushed a stray lock of golden hair from the brawler's eyes.

"I mean it, Blake. I've never meant it as much as I do right this very moment. And every day from now until the end of time, I'll mean it more and more. I didn't get a speech prepared and I'm not good at them, but baby, I love you so much. I'll do anything for you, no matter what. You're mine, forever. And I'm yours. I love you, Blake. I love you, a thousand times and a thousand ways and a thousand years, I'll always love you."

Yang's voice actually cracked slightly and Blake's hand on her cheek soothed the emotional Huntress. "I love you, Yang, forever."

"Forever," echoed the blonde, the statement still holding a considerable impact. Yang glanced at the ring that now adorned her finger. She smiled at Blake and kissed her again, the first of many, many more.

* * *

_Author's Note: I AM SO SORRY ABOUT THE DELAY. Things and stuff with personal things and stuff and I'm really just so sorry. I promise, I'l get back to uploading every day. That said, FFN is being a stupid **** and not letting me upload new Documents. Therefore, I am having to replace my backup of Chapter 2 with Chapter 3. I hate doing this but it's the only way I can manage to publish this chapter. Here's to FFN figuring their crap out. *growls*_

_I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I have one or two more planned for this series before I focus all efforts on Part II. That said, once Part II starts, I MAY still upload short stories, so it's a good idea to have this story followed just in case. Part II will be taking place five years after Part I and so I will be doing many, many filler chapters in here. Chapters of missions or day-to-day activities or even the next Vytal Festival, stuff like that, just to fill in the gaps._

_It's coming...soon!_


	4. In Which Bumblebee Has a Normal Day

_**This chapter contains allusions to adult material. Nothing overt, but it's implied.**_

* * *

**9 Days After Cinder's Invasion**

Blake yawned and stretched, the muscles in her legs and back quivering in pleasure. She rolled over and opened her eyes to see that Yang was not in bed with her. The Faunus smiled at Yang's typical behavior. True to her nature, Blake slept a lot. Yang, of course, marveled at how Blake had gone nearly two weeks without any sleep whatsoever and Blake merely shrugged. Truth be told, she often felt like she was still paying for that mistake.

The smell of pancakes wafted through the dorm and Blake sat upright, stretching her arms and purring lightly. Yang closed the sliding door to the kitchenette and turned around. In her hands, she held two plates of pancakes with everfall syrup. Blake raised an eyebrow at the outfit that her fiancé had decided on—a small, white apron that said 'Bang the Cook'—though Blake had to admit that Yang looked absolutely enticing in the skimpy ensemble. Yang had already established that during the summer months, she preferred to sleep naked. Blake didn't mind and often joined her. She'd grown accustomed to her own personal space heater, and Yang enjoyed the feeling of the smaller girl pressed into her every nook and cranny.

"Good morning~!" Yang called in a sing-song voice.

Blake smiled and blushed lightly as Yang handed her one of the plates, then sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed. Yang dug in and three bites worth of pancakes suddenly disappeared into her ravenous maw. Blake watched her eat for a moment before leaning forward and kissing her pink, syrupy lips. Yang stopped mid-bite and raised her eyebrows before swallowing. The two laughed softly and kissed again before finishing their breakfast.

As morning light filtered through the curtains in their dorm, Blake pulled Yang to her, haphazardly tossing the sticky plates onto the end table beside their bed. Sticky lips met in a deep kiss. Blake reached around and undid the apron that served as Yang's only clothing. The garment fell away and Blake, for the hundredth time, admired her lover's body. The two dissolved into kisses and lovemaking that took them through the morning and into the early afternoon.

The pair rolled over, panting from their latest go and stared at the ceiling. Yang reached over and clasped Blake's hand, who twined their fingers together.

"Damn, kitten…"

"I know…"

The two took a few minutes to catch their breath before Blake struggled into a sitting position. Standing on numb, shaky legs, she leaned against the wall for support and started making her way towards the small bathroom. "Well? You coming or what?" Blake called out behind her.

Yang bolted upright and tripped out of bed, following the Faunus to the shower. "Hell yes," she mumbled. "Hell. Yes."

Once the two girls had freshened up, destroyed all their hard work, and then freshened up again, they found themselves dressed up for a day on the town. However, Blake was pressed firmly against the door and Yang was pressed firmly against her. The Faunus lifted her leg and Yang held it into place beside her. Blake's black pleated skirt shifted and Yang brushed her bare leg against Blake's pantyless womanhood. The smaller girl moaned into Yang's mouth and Yang was grateful that she'd decided to wear shorts.

Their make-out session lasted a while and by the time they were done, Blake's hair was a mess and Yang's leg bore a distinct wet spot. They debated staying in or going ahead and going out. Yang smiled and took Blake's hand. "Let's go out," she offered, and that was that.

Blake followed the tall blonde out of the dormitories and to the shuttle pad. An airtaxi took them to the center of the entertainment district and the two girls began to meander through the streets. Yang had her arm around Blake and Blake snuggled into the warm girl's embrace.

As the two entered into the wealthier part of the entertainment district, the stares of passers-by became more and more apparent. Blake shrunk into Yang's arms. Yang only raised an eyebrow and kept walking.

It wasn't long before the stares became murmurs and whispers. They passed a particularly rotund woman talking on her scroll, dressed in a deep purple gown with a fox-fur neckwarmer wrapped around her thick folds. Yang wondered how she could stand the heat in the getup but curiosity turned to furiosity. Yang's hearing had only deteriorated since she'd built Ember Celica, but thanks to Summer's lessons, she could read lips just fine. _…with a filthy Faunus girl. Yes, here, in the Upper District._

Yang stopped suddenly and Blake clung to her. "Come on, Yang, let's just get out of here. It's not worth it."

Yang trembled and she tightened her grip on Blake's shoulder. As they passed the woman, Yang was pushed over the edge. "…would be best if they all just disappeared off of the face of Remnant."

"What the fuck did you just say?" Yang whirled and grabbed the woman by the arm.

"Well, I never!" she cried out in a thick posh accent. She tried to scramble away from the blonde, who's eyes glowed with a crimson rage.

"You want to repeat your opinion of Faunuses?" Yang growled, her fingers digging into the woman's fat.

"Yang, please, stop," Blake begged, tugging on Yang's other arm. The brawler didn't listen. "Please, I'm used to it. It's not worth it."

Yang turned her head and shot Blake a look of such pain and sadness that Blake took a step back. The furious Huntress turned her attention back to the big woman who'd dared to insult Blake. "You think that Faunus are filthy? Disgusting? You think they should disappear?"

The woman stammered for a moment before Yang grabbed the woman's thick neck with vise-like fingers. She pointed the woman's face to Blake and hissed in her ear, "This 'filthy Faunus' is a hero of Vale. She saved the kingdom from destruction. What the fuck did you do?"

"I…I…" was the woman's eloquent reply.

"That's what I fuckin' though," Yang growled. She let the woman go.

As the woman stumbled backwards, she sneered and pointed accusingly at the pair. "Y-you won't get away with this! I'll have you and that disgusting animal arrested!" She took several steps back and her arm fat jiggled as she caused a scene in front of the onlookers.

Yang sighed at Blake, kissed her fiancé on the lips quickly, turned, stepped forward, and slammed her right fist into the woman's stomach. The woman doubled over and, for a moment, was suspended in the air by Yang's arm.

The woman fell to her side, coughing and retching. "Anyone else have anything to say about Faunuses?" Yang turned around, her arms outstretched. "Anyone? I didn't think so." She lowered her arms, grabbed Blake and started back towards Beacon. "C'mon, babe. Let's go."

Blake followed wordlessly, not knowing what to say or do.

* * *

Later, after calming down, Yang had apologized to Blake, who had just kissed her and smiled. The two now walked hand in hand towards the docks. The evening light danced across the distant waves. As they walked down the wooden pier, Blake finally spoke up.

"I know that you want to defend me and that you hate Faunus discrimination, but you can't just punch anyone who looks at me wrong. You're going to have to get used to it, love. It's going to happen."

"Yeah, well I don't see why I can't punch them. They deserve it." Yang leaned against the wooden railing, sighing. The sun's reflection in the water lit the whole area in a dusky red glow.

Blake walked over and put her hands on Yang's shoulders, kneading the tense muscles. Planting a kiss on her lover's neck, Blake whispered, "I do like that you stand up for me, though, even if I'm fully capable of doing it myself."

Yang turned and nuzzled her. "Oh, I know. I just like being the one to leap to your defense." She shrugged and turned, taking Blake's hands in her own. One small kiss later, Yang realized that the docks were deserted. An uneasy pit formed in her stomach, but she hid the feeling from Blake.

"Yang…" Blake was more perceptive than Yang gave her credit for and the two huntresses immediately whirled to stand back to back, opening their aura and channeling it into the visible spectrum.

Around them, a group of black-clad individuals appeared from the shadows. They offered no name or identification and as they rushed towards the two huntresses, they offered no challenge. Blending their minds together, the pair slipped into Insight and fought as one being.

Blake's shadow clones propelled Yang into a group of five hitmen while Yang's kinetic fire dance across Blake's arms. Their semblances fused perfectly and they danced in unison to the sound of broken bones and gushing blood.

As the last man fell, Yang walked over to the only one who bore any kind of marking. It was a simple metal clasp, but it was enough to identify him as the leader. Yang dug through his pockets and found what she was looking for: a wad of cash and a note.

_ Find a blonde human girl and a brunette cat-Faunus. Make them suffer._

Yang crumpled the note and threw it into the sea. She took the money, a couple thousand lien, and shoved it into her bra. Grabbing Blake by the hand, the two calmly continued with their walk, leaving a pile of moaning, groaning men behind.

* * *

By the time the engaged couple made it back to their dorm, it was nighttime. Blake shut the door behind her and locked it. She leaned against the door and stared at Yang, who began to undress. The blonde stretched and Blake eyed her from the door. Yang reached for a large t-shirt to wear until bed time, but Blake was there first. The Faunus stepped in and cupped Yang's chin. Standing on her tip-toes, Blake leaned up and kissed Yang, softly at first, but then deeper.

"Thank you, Yang," were the only words offered. They were the only words needed. Yang scooped Blake up into her arms and carried her to bed, where the two Huntresses ended the day as it began.

* * *

_Author's Note: I know this is relatively short and really not like my other chapters, but I saw a writing prompt on tumblr and I had to do it. I wanted a "normal" day for our precious Bumblebee. Looks like they got more than they bargained for._

_I might start working on Part II tomorrow. Might. I also need need NEED to upload Chapter 2 of Black Chronicle. I nearly have it finished and I want to get that story off of the ground. Combine those three stories with my ACTUAL novel that I'm preparing to write and I am SUPER SWAMPED. PLUS, I need to find a job which means even LESS time to write and I just wish I could get paid to sit around and write fanfiction all day._

_Sigh._


	5. In Which the Darkness Overwhelms

_**TRIGGER WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS EXTREMELY DARK CONTENT. IF YOU SUFFER FROM DEPRESSION (OR ANY RELATED MENTAL ILLNESS) PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS CHAPTER IS VERY DARK AND VERY HEAVY. PLEASE, IF YOU EVER FEEL THE URGE TO HARM YOURSELF IN ANY WAY, DO NOT FOLLOW TH****ROUGH. CALL A FAMILY MEMBER OR TRUSTED FRIEND. IF YOU FEEL YOU CANNOT TALK TO SOMEONE YOU KNOW, PLEASE CALL THE SUICIDE HOTLINE ****1 (800) 273-8255. **__**YOU ARE NOT ALONE. IT GETS BETTER.**_

* * *

**Four years, Five Months, and Twelve Days After Cinder's Invasion**

_"__What the fuck?"_

_ "__Yang! It's not what it looks like!"_

_ "__Get the fuck off of her, Sun!"_

_ "__Hey—hic—Yang…wanna join?"_

_ "__Get the fuck outta here, you stupid…fucking…Faunus!"_

_ "__Yang!"_

_ "__And you! What the fuck!?"_

_ "__He kissed me!"_

_ "__Yeah, I'm sure. You've always had a thing for him, haven't you!?"_

_ "__That's not true, Yang, and you know it…"_

_ "__Get out."_

_ "__What?"_

_ "__Get. Out."_

_ "__Yang…"_

_ "__Get the fuck out!"_

Yang stared at the empty bottles on the bar and raised her fingers. "Nuh-uh," the bartender shook his head, "You've 'ad enough, blon'ie. I'm cuttin' you off." The young woman just grunted and reached for her keys. The bartender reached out and snatched them from her. "An' I'm no' let'in' you drive, neither."

Lilac eyes flashed crimson for a moment and she raised Ember Celica. The bartender raised an eyebrow and Yang sighed. She lowered her right arm and slammed a wad of lien on the bar before stalking away. Seventeen beers and her senses were still sharp. Yang stepped out of the bar and stared up into the cold winter sky. She tugged her leather duster tight around her and stalked off into the night as soft snow fluttered to the ground.

Finally reaching her apartment, Yang fumbled with the key, cold tears plastered on her face blurring her vision. She stumbled inside the apartment and slammed the door shut. She slid to the floor, sobbing. It'd been nearly six months since Blake left. Six months ago, she'd caught Sun drunkenly kissing Blake. Caught in a rage that she could not control, Yang had said awful things to her fiancé. Blind fury that had slipped from her control caused her to lash out and after several racial slurs and insults…she hit Blake.

Blake, blindsided, didn't even have her aura up. The blow connected, flesh on flesh, and Yang's fist connected with Blake's cheek, her wrist snapping. Blake ran away, leaving a shocked and stricken Yang. Yang called out to her, but she was gone. Yang's arm didn't hurt.

Several hours later, Ruby had stormed in, grabbing Yang by her broken wrist and hauling her to the hospital. The doctor's set and treated the bones. Yang just sat there, numbly. Later, Ruby had given her a good verbal lashing and threatened to break her other arm. The words had just washed over Yang.

Something inside Yang had snapped and she broke. The reality of what she had done shattered her.

Yang sucked in a deep breath at the memory of that night and she slowly stood on shaky legs. The one-room apartment was small, cramped, and run down, but Yang didn't care. She stumbled to the kitchenette and threw open drawers, Grabbing a long paring knife, she went to the side of her bed. She looked down at her right wrist. Ever since her fight with Mercury, she'd lost all feeling in the limb. She flexed her fingers.

_Just do it, Yang. You're a waste of space and you've driven everybody away. Blake is gone with Weiss and Ruby hates you. If anybody else knew what you did, they'd hate you, too. They probably do already._

_Just do it, Yang._

_Do it._

_Do._

_It._

With a furious yell, Yang slashed viciously across her wrist. A long scarlet line appeared in her wrist. _Nothing._ Yang cried and sobbed and screamed as she swung the knife into her flesh over and over. She held her numb, bleeding arm in her hand and screamed as her semblance took over her body functions. The thick scarlet lines vanished before her eyes, leaving thick white scars behind.

_Nothing._

Yang cried for a long time. She cried until there were no more tears. As her sobs died down, she gripped the knife in her newly healed right arm. She turned her gaze to the left arm.

_Please._ She swung the knife. This time, she screamed in pain as she hacked at her arm. Only a few cuts in, she dropped the knife, blood pooling by her bedside. Her arm was already healing.

_Please. I want to die. Just let me die._

Yang reached for the knife once more. Deep scarlet stained her pale skin as she gripped the weapon tightly between her fingers. She reached up and drew the knife across her throat, carving a bloody grin into her flesh.

She fell forward, convulsing as her semblance kicked into overdrive, attempting to keep her alive as it stitched the wound. Yang blacked out.

Several minutes later, Yang gasped and regained consciousness. Nausea overwhelmed her and she leaned over the bedside, vomiting. The knife lay on the floor in the middle of a large pool of crimson blood and brown bile. She wiped her mouth and reached for her throat.

Her skin was completely smooth.

Yang collapsed on her bed and sobbed late into the night.

_I'm sorry, Blake… I'm so sorry…_

* * *

Blake lay in her bed in Weiss' guest room, staring at the ceiling. She reached up and touched her cheek where Yang had hit her. After all this time, she still felt it and she still felt like she'd deserved it. She'd invited Sun in, knowing full well he'd been drinking. She had let him flirt. She knew he and his boyfriend, Neptune, were in an open relationship. She'd even known that he still harbored feelings for her. With Yang so focused on work, she'd barely had time to see her own fiancé and Sun was making her feel good.

Before she knew it, Sun was reaching for her and kissing her. She had tried to fight it, but Sun overpowered her and she panicked. Memories of Adam came flooding forward and she stood, paralyzed, as Sun forced his tongue into her mouth.

Fate was cruel and it was then that Yang had come home to find her fiancé kissing someone else. She knew that if it had been anyone else, Yang might've been reasonable, but the monkey Faunus had been hounding Blake for the better part of three years, trying to get her to hook up with Neptune and him. Blake had always laughed it off, but Yang had only grown more and more uncomfortable by it. She didn't trust them.

Walking in had all but confirmed her fears and suspicions, and it was all Blake's fault. Blake curled up into a ball and cried. She wished that she'd had the strength to face Yang and explain what happened. After Yang's blow, she remembered all too well the beatings she'd suffered at Adam's hand, and so, like she had back then, she ran.

The door creaked open and a soft voice called out, "Blake? Can I come in?"

Blake tried to say yes, but it was lost amongst her sobs. Weiss came in, dressed in her icy blue slip, and sat on the edge of the bed. Weiss took Blake's head into her lap and stroked her hair gently. "There, there, Blake. It'll all be okay."

After her sobs died down, Blake struggled to find her voice. She whispered, "I just want her back…"

Weiss nodded in understanding. "Ruby will bring her around. She just needs time."

Blake heard her words but in her heart she knew that it may be too late already. Fresh tears fell freely.

_I'm sorry, Yang... I'm so sorry..._

* * *

_Author's Note: I apologize about the dark chapter. I was going through a very rough time last night, when I wrote this. Normally, I try to transform my pain and channel it into something positive, something beautiful. Last night I needed to write something angry, something violent, something hopeless. I needed to put into words how I felt. Darkness is easy to portray. It's also easy to completely miss the point. Portraying someone who suffers from depression, whether it's clinical or situational, is extremely difficult. Often times, the person suffering can seem completely normal to others. Sometimes, it's very obvious. The inner machinations of a depressed person's mind are very difficult to accurately describe because there is no real rhyme or reason to why they, we, think the way we do. I almost didn't post this chapter, because I thought it would be TOO dark. But I feel like Blake and Yang, ESPECIALLY Yang, deserves to have this part of her story told._

_Without the Shadows, the Sunshine is meaningless._

_It does get better. So, again, if you're reading this and you suffer, please, seek help. You are beautiful and loved and it does absolutely get better._

_Stay strong. And as always, thanks for reading. I'll see you in the next chapter._


	6. In Which Blake Distracts Yang

_Author's Note: Due to the chapter's half-plot/half-'plot' nature, I'll be putting this hear instead of at the end. I have a few amendments, a few statements, and an announcement._

_The amendments:_

_Concerning the previously named Team TRQS, the name and concept is scrapped. Completely. New information has been replaced and just in time. The team name is now QRTS (Quarts), with Qrow as team leader. Their color scheme is smoky grey, like quarts. Yet, even with yellow and red (Taiyang and Summer) and black and red (Qrow and Raven) the name fits, as quarts can be found in all four of those colors. So boom._

_The statements:_

_I've gotten some amazing feedback, and some negative feedback, on the 'treatment of Yang'. Let me assure you that as an author, I take no pleasure in seeing my characters ("my" meaning my AU version) suffer. I'm not George R.R. Martin. I don't delight in death and suffering. Everything Yang and Blake, and even Ruby and the rest, are going through is for a reason. I don't hate anyone, and I don't like making them suffer. But in the case of Yang, I really just wanted to show that even someone as happy and outgoing as she, can suffer. Her suffering is a very clear and obvious kind. However, that is not often the case with depression. So often, you hear the family and friends of suicide victims say "s/he was always seemed so happy". It's because those who suffer, don't want others to know what their pain feels like. So they often bury it so deep that sometimes they fool even themselves. Now, I can't accurately portray Yang that way because her darkness is a situational depression, not clinical/genetic depression. However, suicidal tendencies can be treated the same way, no matter what causes them. Friendship and companionship is the biggest step. Just take the time out of your day to show them kindness and compassion. Empathy goes a long way. It's not a foolproof method to save everyone. Not everyone can be saved, unfortunately. All we can do is try our hardest to show them hope and love. I can't stress this enough, it DOES get better._

_Okay, I've said what I've wanted to say there. I know I'm very vocal and passionate about suicidal awareness and mental health awareness, but I have very good reasons._

_Now for the announcement! I will be starting up a Facebook page for this AU! Look for the group named "RWBY: Sunshine and Shadows" (or something to similar effect), sometime around Monday. I'm very excited to start this and hopefully I will meet many of you there!_

_As always, thanks for reading! And I will see you in the next chapter!_

* * *

**_Oi, matey! Wha' do ye t'ink yer doin'? I have nay said me piece yet 'n' yer alrea'y to set sail, ye cod-spittin' cur! As I were sayin', dis here be a chapt'r full o' sex and wha'no'. So's, when ye see the warnin', well, ye be warned! Now where be that bloo'y author, I nee' ta shoot somet'in'!_**

* * *

**Two Years After Cinder's Invasion**

With senior year right around the corner, Blake was franticly obsessed with learning as much as she could about as much as she could. Yang, however, was slightly less concerned and spent most of her days training in the gym. Classes for juniors and seniors were left entirely up to the students. Some, like Ruby and Blake, applied for as many AP classes as they could, while others, like Ren and Weiss, preferred to study more mundane classes like business and economics.

Pyrrha spent most of her time with Jaune, and either Azura or Cole whenever they could spare the time, developing Jaune's Paladin semblance. He'd learned how to form solid weapons of light, but had yet learned to hold the shape for very long.

Nora had all but dropped out, preferring to spend her time playing the doting housewife for Ren. Her sudden manner change had taken everyone by surprise, but Ren didn't seem to mind. She was still the same hyperactive girl that they all loved, but now she had an outlet for all of her energy. Not that Ren complained, even if he did limp to classes sometimes.

Yang tied her shoelaces together and threw the athletic footwear over her shoulder. She hefted her new personalized punching bag in one arm, and headed to the locker room. After stashing her stuff, she raced out to Bumblebee and zipped to the all-too-familiar hospital.

The young Huntress was beginning to despise the place. First, she had been trapped there for weeks, healing, then her sister had nearly died there. Not to mention Blake, Nora, and Ren's brief stays there. Add in Pyrrha's long coma, and the place spelled doom. Now, the matter was much more grievous.

Taiyang, her father, had been found. Qrow and Ozpin, in one of their hunts for Raven, had run into an abandoned camp. Zwei, who Qrow had decided to bring along, picked up his owner's scent, and led them straight to Taiyang.

Thanks to his semblance, the Hunter had survived for months without any food or water, but at great cost. Half of his aura had been ripped from him, and Qrow grimly surmised that it was what gave Cinder her fire powers. The remaining half, his healing factor, had worked overtime to keep him alive.

That had been only two months after Cinder's coup. Now he was safe in the hospital, being personally treated by the new chief-of-staff, Jim Doireann. Yang visited her father every day, and today was no exception.

As she made her way to his room, she thought about everything he'd been through in the past two decades. She knew he carried heavy scars from his years at Beacon, and though he didn't talk about them, Yang knew they weighed on him more each year. She saw the same look in Qrow and Ozpin's eyes that she saw in her father's. Even Professors Cole and Lapis occasionally shared the dark look.

Yet, it didn't stop there. Not five days after Yang's mother had given birth to her, she stole the Repository Key and ran. It tore Taiyang up inside, and only recently had Qrow told Yang all about her mother, Raven. Luckily, Summer had been there for Taiyang. Two years later, they were happily married and Taiyang seemed almost to be better. But tragedy struck, and when Ruby was four, Summer was killed by Grimm. Taiyang and Qrow both never talked about it. Yang had been six, and barely knew what was going on. Ruby knew, though, deep down, and it broke Taiyang.

Eventually, he'd returned to teaching, but the light in his eyes was gone. Rarely, the sisters could get him to crack a smile, but they knew that the pain he'd suffered was too much for them to heal.

As Yang looked down at the greying, blond-haired man, she smiled gently. She'd gotten her looks and temper from her mother, but her father had taught her the skills and given her the gift of her semblance. She brushed the long hair from Taiyang's face. His scruffy facial hair never grew in too long, unlike Uncle Qrow's, and Taiyang had always enjoyed blowing raspberries into Yang's stomach as a child. She'd kick and scream and laugh, but her father was merciless.

She remembered when he would read her stories to get her to sleep, and after Summer died, she'd re-tell the same stories to Ruby, for as long as her sister would let her.

"Hey, dad," she said quietly. "Same old, today, huh? I miss you. I know Ruby hasn't been in to see you yet, but don't worry too much, okay? She's busy becoming the best Huntress of all time. You should see her, dad. She looks just like mom did." Yang sniffed and laughed as she wiped a single tear from her eye. "Not crying, dad. It's hot in here. You know how we dragons are."

Yang ran her hands across her father's face once more. "I really miss you, dad. Please wake up soon, okay? I love you."

The blonde leaned over and kissed her father's forehead before turning and leaving the room.

* * *

**SEX SCENE AHEAD - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED**

* * *

Yang threw the door to the private door open, and slammed it shut behind her before leaning against it. She slowly slid to the floor and wept gentle tears.

"Yang?" a soft voice called from the bathroom.

_Shit._ Yang cleared her throat and tried to stabilize her voice. "Yes?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly. She stood and trudged across the crimson carpet to the bathroom door, rapping slightly against the dark wood.

"You don't have to knock anymore, love," Blake's soft voice penetrated through the wood.

The door handle turned and Blake stood in front of Yang, wearing the most scandalous set of lingerie imaginable. A lacy black push-up bra enhanced and accentuated her cleavage, while a nearly transparent black lace pair of panties left very little to the imagination.

Yang took a step back and Blake immediately saw her wet cheeks. "Oh, Dust, I'm so sorry, Yang." Blake was immediately there, holding and cradling Yang in her arms.

The brawler both loved and detested how perceptive Blake was. It was nice how quickly Blake's arms found themselves around her but at the same time, she wished that the Faunus would sometimes turn a blind eye and just distract Yang the way Yang liked best.

Blake pulled back and ran her hands through Yang's hair. Yang grabbed the Fuanus' wrists and pulled her close to her, their bodies pressing together tightly. Blake's perfume mixed with the light scent of Yang's post-workout aroma. Blake didn't mind, but Yang was forever self-conscious of it. The smaller girl gasped at the sudden movement and aggressive contact, but when she looked in her girlfriend's eyes she saw what the older girl wanted.

"Okay, love." Blake led Yang to their bed and left her standing while she climbed in. She lay on her side, her bottom leg outstretched, and her top leg arched and open, allowing Yang an impeccable view. Blake propped herself up on her right elbow and ran her left hand through her hair, her cat ears twitching slightly. She pushed her chest out and bit her lower lip, just the way that drove Yang wild.

"Oh, Yang," she said, her voice heavy with lust and the promise of a sinfully, wonderfully, obscenely pleasurable time. "I'm just so tired," she stretched and fake yawned to emphasize her current game, "but I'm just so…horny." Her voice was like silk and Yang was already dripping with anticipation. This was her favorite distraction. "I'm too tired to masturbate," she took a few chest-heaving breaths, "…so you'll have to do it for me."

Yang raised an eyebrow, but Blake, bless her heart, stayed in character the entire time. Yang stood still for a solid ten seconds, her heart aflutter. "Oh, hell yes." She ripped off her sweat-slicked tank-top. "Hell." She kicked her track shorts to the floor, nearly tripping on them as she pounced the Faunus. "Yes."

Yang was on top of Blake before the latter could prepare herself. Yang was sweaty and hot, burning almost, and Blake, the picture of elegance, melted under the searing touch of her lover. Yang's lips crashed into Blake's and she swore she could see sparks, as she thought every time she was fortunate enough to kiss the Faunus. Blake's hands found their way to Yang's hips, her thumbs hooking under the black, satin undergarments.

She started to slide them down, but then pulled them back up, teasing Yang's clit with the fabric. Yang groaned but then realized she had broken character herself. She quickly slid down Blake's body, bypassing her breasts all together. _Don't worry, I've got plans for you soon enough._

The brawler nearly ripped the shear panties off of the Fuanus girl, who gasped at the speed and swiftness of her bottoms' removal. The fiery hot tongue that lanced into hear made her gasp louder, and before she knew it, she was panting as Yang's mouth expertly found every special spot and hidden pleasure that drive Blake insane with ecstasy.

Yang slid back up Blake's body, straddling the now prostrate young woman. She leaned in to undo the raven-haired woman's bra, making sure her own exposed breasts were pressed into her lover's face. Blake's tongue darted out, teasing Yang's stiffening nipples. Blake took Yang's right breast into her mouth and sloppily sucked on it, the salty taste of sweat mixing with the sweet taste of Yang's skin. As she let the mound of flesh fall from her mouth, her teeth caught the nipple, sending shivers down Yang's spine.

Deciding she'd had enough of waiting, the taller Huntress leaned in to begin a feast of her own. Blake's breasts, while smaller, were perkier and much, _much_ more sensitive than Yang's oversized mammaries. Blake's back was arching and her stomach pressed into Yang's mound, drawing slight moans from the blonde to vibrate on Blake's flesh, which only made Blake arch higher.

The Faunus collapsed, breathing heavily, and Yang grinned at her lover. Blake weakly grinned back and Yang leaned over, thrusting her chest in Blake's face, before dragging her body down the lithe young thing underneath her. Yang fell to her side and placed her hand on Blake's sex, rubbing her clit between two fingers. Blake reached out and grabbed Yang's shoulder, digging her nails into the blonde's skin.

Yang turned her head and kissed the hand that dug into her body, and continued her motions, drawing forth Blake's climax like water from a well. The waves of pleasure overwhelmed Blake and the girl collapsed back into the bed, shaking and convulsing in pure ecstasy. Yang placed gentle kisses over her lover's body as she waited for her partner to come down.

When Blake's amber eyes fluttered open once more, Yang shot her a look that said _thank you._

Blake sat up and swiftly kissed her fiancée. "Thank _you_," she murmured. "But now it's your turn."

Yang was on her back with her panties off before she could blink in surprise. A shadow clone held her arms to the black, cotton sheets. Yang's eyes widened and surprise and Blake just flashed a look full of love and lust. Yang quivered in anticipation, and Blake lapped up that anticipation eagerly. The brawler was writhing and moaning loudly within moments. Blake closed her eyes and smiled as she continued to feast on her lover.

Her slender tongue darted in and out of Yang's folds, hitting all of the right places, and stopping just long enough to tease Yang into moaning throatily. Blake pulled back slightly and then lay on her back, tapping Yang's thigh. "Come here, sun dragon."

The blonde straddled her lover's face, gripping the oak headboard for support as her legs almost gave out on her at Blake's first touch. Blake, who had her face buried in Yang's sex, hummed in delight, which made Yang quiver more and love juices dripped down Blake's chin. She lapped them up hungrily, the salty-sweet taste of Yang filling her mouth. Yang's breathing was the clue, and Blake knew that as soon as she could hear Yang's breathing, she was close.

Sure enough, Yang's breathing grew more and more audible, punctuated by low moans and uttered curses. "Dust, Blake, don't stop, please…" she started bucking her hips lightly, and Blake grasped her ass, slapping lightly. Yang's eyes flared crimson for only a moment; the slight adrenaline rush was a favorite tool of Blake's. It worked, and Yang shuddered as she came on Blake's face. Her lover lapped it all up and Yang wobbled. She fell to the side as Blake licked her lips.

"D-damn…" was Yang's response.

Her eyes still closed, Blake smiled lightly, savoring Yang's taste. She reached out a hand and placed it on Yang's thigh. "I'm not done with you yet, Xiao Long."

Yang was back on her back, her legs spread wide, as Blake dived back in to the still climaxing folds. Yang actually screamed out in pleasure as Blake's tongue infiltrated the sensitive flesh. Blake licked and sucked and lapped and nipped at Yang until Yang thought her heart would burst from her chest. She exploded, almost literally, in pleasure, as she showered Blake in her juices.

The young woman collapsed back on the bed, even slicker with sweat than after her workout. Blake, gently, softly, licked Yang clean, making sure that there wasn't a drop wasted, her lips gently caressing Yang's inner thigh.

Yang's hearing had gone all wonky with the force of her orgasm and as she waited for her head to clear, Blake was busy kissing her way up to her lover's mouth. Yang tasted herself on Blake's tongue and it drove her wild. She pulled Blake close to her, their bodies pressed tightly up against one another. Yang lightly nipped and sucked on Blake's neck, leaving her traditional hickey, a habit she'd picked up after seeing a particularly large hickey very poorly hidden on Weiss' neck.

It had become a competition with her sister, but also a mark of ownership to Blake. Yang, ever the overprotective and jealous one, had claimed Blake utterly, and Blake adored it. She never wanted anyone but Yang, and she made sure Yang knew it every day. Blake smiled as she lay her head on Yang's chest, hearing the rapid and out-of-control heartbeat that thumped beneath.

Yang cracked an eye open and put her lips around one of Blake's eartips, pulling slightly with her mouth. Blake shook her head in the cutest way and nuzzled into Yang, purring heavily.

"Thank you, kitten," Yang said, softly.

A light kiss on Yang's chest was Blake's response.

They lay together, in each other's arms, for a very long time.


	7. In Which Velvet Gives Birth

There was only pain for a while. Doctors and nurses bustled around the small Faunus woman. Never once did the hand leave hers, no matter how hard she squeezed, nails biting into rough skin. She cried and yelled but persevered through it all. Finally, with sweat pouring from every inch of her skin, and her long brown hair matted and plastered to her forehead, she wasn't the only one crying. A small pair of lungs joined with hers.

For a moment, Velvet smiled as the newborn stretched its new lungs. Then the pain was back as the child's younger twin struggled to enter the world. Her grip tightened and Yatsuhashi was there constantly, silently watching over her, wishing that he could take even a little bit of her pain away. However, due to possible complications, auras were disabled by a machine during childbirth, and she arrived to the hospital too late for the epidural to kick in.

So Yatsuhashi stood by her side, bearing as much as he could. A few minutes later, everything was finished, and a few nurses were helping to clean everything up.

Velvet collapsed on the bed, breathing hard, finally free of the burden. Her eyes slowly closed, heavy with fatigue. Suddenly, she felt Yatsuhashi's hand leave hers, and his presence moved away. She heard hushed whispers and struggled to open her eyes. When the doctors noticed her straining to hear them, the lead obstetrician motioned for a nurse, and a small mouse Faunus moved forward, holding the elder twin wrapped in a small grey blanket.

She carefully placed the baby on the bed next to Velvet. "Where is the other one?" Velvet croaked hoarsely.

The nurse glanced at the doctor and backed up as he stepped forward. Yatsuhashi resumed his place at Velvet's side, giant arms folded over his chest.

"Miss Scarletina, I'm sorry for the suddenness of this and the confusion, but when your daughter came out, she wasn't breathing properly. This condition is known as asphyxia neonatorum. It's very rare in normal pregnancies, especially with the advancements in prenatal care in recent years. However, between Human-Faunus couples, it, for lack of better medical description, can just happen. We can't detect it early, and the only thing to do is to resuscitate the infant."

Velvet's mind raced. "Will she be alright? What does this mean?"

"Honestly, if we cannot establish normal breathing in time, there could be brain damage, or, and this is the worst case, she could die. We've got a highly skilled team here, Miss Scarletina. They're doing the best they can."

The Faunus swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. "Okay, doctor. Thank you."

Doctor Cross reached across and patted Velvet's arm before turning and leaving the couple alone with their elder infant.

Yatsuhashi knelt next to the bed and caressed Velvet's cheek, as she closed her eyes, tears spilling over.

"Calm." The giant wiped her tears with his thumb and smiled softly at his beloved. "It will be alright."

She nodded and turned her attention towards the young boy who was staring up at his parents, oddly quiet. Velvet held her finger out and the baby reached out, wrapping his fingers around hers and holding on as tightly as his new muscles would allow. Velvet almost began crying again. Yatsuhashi simply smiled and placed a hand on the child's short, black hair, feeling tiny rabbit-like ears poking up beneath the fuzz.

For several minutes, they basked in the feeling of being new parents. Velvet eventually sat up and pulled her gown down to allow for the boy to feed. They discussed names, as they had been for months, but still couldn't think of anything.

A small tap at the door and the same nurse from before came in, head bowed low. Velvet's stomach dropped and she could feel the tears welling again—until Doctor Cross came in carrying another baby, also wrapped in a grey blanket.

"Congratulations, Mr. Daichi, Miss Scarletina. You're parents of a pair of perfectly healthy twins."

Yatsuhashi reached out and took the girl from the doctor's arms and held her close. Velvet laughed softly as tears of joy fell from her cheeks. "Thank you, doctor. Thank you so much."

Doctor Cross bowed slightly and turned to walk out of the door, his wolf tail swishing back and forth. Yatsuhashi knelt again and held the small girl out for Velvet to see. Her skin was slightly lighter than her brother's and her hair was a light blonde, but her wide eyes were just as brilliantly brown as her parents' were.

Velvet turned to Yatsuhashi and reached out with her free hand, pulling him close and kissing him. "I know what to name them," she said.

She turned to the boy, "Gin." Yatsuhashi's eyes lit up knowingly.

He turned to the girl, "Kin." He nodded and tickled the infant girl's stomach as she batted at his finger, gurgling and cooing.

"Yatsu?" Velvet asked in her thick Menageriean accent. "I want them to have your last name."

"Daichi Kin and Daichi Gin. I like the sound of that." Yatsuhashi leaned in and pressed his forehead to Velvet's, her ears draping over his head. "Next one gets yours, though."

Velvet nodded and kissed him again. "But not for at least five years. Please. I don't think I can handle it."

They laughed softly together and the twins began to giggle as well.

* * *

_Author's Note: I know this is short, but I had this idea bouncing around my head all day about Velvet and Yatsu's kids. I knew they had to be twins and I knew they had to be Kin and Gin. However, most of everything else was made up as I wrote it. There are a few open ends that I will address with their kids' appearance in Part II and Part III, such as some problems that developed as a result of Kin's condition._

_Also, yes, the hospital is a Faunus hospital, staffed by Faunus to treat Faunus. They don't, however, turn away human patients because they're not assholes like humans are._

_Oh and another thing. Yes, Velvet's accent is because she's from Menagerie, the failed containment continent for Faunus. Despite it's harsh beginnings, much like the real country of Australia (being a prison island), Menagerie is now considered to be a 'Mecca' for Faunus. The Faunus took something hateful that humans did and turned it into something beautiful. A sanctuary for all of Faunuskind._

_So, yes. A short little Velvet X Yatsu chapter. What IS their ship name even? Hope you all enjoyed it!_


	8. In Which Pyrrha Wins

The stars were beautiful, as always, and the shattered moon hung low in the sky. Pyrrha stared into the blue-black sky and sighed, wistfully. She'd just talked to Jaune and it seemed like he still didn't get it, would never get it. Ever since she'd laid eyes on him, he'd been the sole focus of her attention. He hadn't even known who she was. His awkwardness was so adorable and the way he tried so hard struck a chord within Pyrrha's heart. She knew what she wanted, as she often did, but she couldn't bring herself to chase after it.

She wanted Jaune to realize by himself; she wanted him to want it just as much as she did. She loved him and the absence of his returned affection felt like a hole had been punched through her chest.

The tears fell freely now, tracing wet lines down her cheeks and staining the marble railing with her sadness. A voice from behind her startled her, "Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha straightened and wiped her eyes and cheeks with the palms of her hands, careful not to smear her makeup. Turning, she saw Nora standing in the balcony doorway, Ren close behind her. "N-Nora? Y-Yes, what is it?"

Nora walked forward and placed her hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, squeezing gently, reassuringly. "You might want to come in and see this."

The taller girl tilted her head quizzically but Nora just turned and disappeared back into the ballroom, leaving Pyrrha no choice but to follow. With a finally glance at the bright moon hanging low in the sky, Pyrrha closed the doors to the balcony and made her way through the crowd.

She'd nearly reached the center of the dance floor when she heard laughter erupting around her. She turned, scanning the room for the source when she felt a familiar presence behind her. She turned once more and found herself face-to-face with Jaune…in a dress.

"Jaune?" she asked, incredulously. To be fair, the dress was pretty cute—white with a blue ribbon, exposing his unexpectedly muscular chest and arms.

"Eh," he shrugged, "a promise is a promise."

Pyrrha fought it, the smile then the gentle giggling then the full out laughter, but the sight of her crush in such a ridiculous outfit was too much. Jaune! You didn't have to!"

Jaune smiled and extended his hand to the woman in red. "Hey, an Arc never goes back on his word. Now," he flashed her a smile, his blue eyes sparkling, "do you wanna laugh at me, or do you wanna dance?"

Pyrrha's heartbeat quickened and she accepted the hand, her fingers clasping his. "I would _love_ to dance."

With a tug, Pyrrha was whisked onto the dance floor. Nora grabbed Ren, shouting, "Ren! This…is…happening!"

Team JNPR hit the dance floor and the students parted to make way for the team who began to dance to the upbeat pop music. After giving the other teams a show, the group split in half as the other students took the floor as well.

Pyrrha whirled around, Jaune's hands feeling strong and confident around her waist and she laughed with glee as he danced expertly with her. "I had no idea you were a dancer!" she exclaimed.

"yeah, well, these things tend to happen when you grow up with seven sisters," Jaune grinned and finished the upbeat song with a flourish, his hand that was on her hip ran quickly over her rear and down her thigh until it held her by the knee, the dress parting around her bare leg. His other hand held her neck and he dipped her low, forcing her to grab onto his neck and hold on, their faces mere inches apart.

Pyrrha's face turned beet red and every fiber of her being wanted to look away or bury her face in his neck, but she didn't. She held his gaze until he lifted her back up and she fell forward into him, breathing hard from the exertion and excitement.

"Jaune…" by now she had forgotten the fact that he was still wearing a dress. Catching sight of it once more, she stifled a giggle. The next song was a slow one and Jaune held her close to him as they danced. Neither of them spoke for fear of ruining what seemed like a perfect moment. Heavy violin swells and deep cello thrums permeated the air as the couple danced. Slowly, carefully, Pyrrha laid her head down on Jaune's shoulder, closing her eyes and trusting him not to let her fall. He smelled good, a faint scent of cedar spiced cologne wafting from him.

Three more slow dances and Jaune never once let his hands fall from Pyrrha's hips. She felt the firm grip through the thin red fabric of her dress and sighed in contentment.

"Pyrrha…" Jaune's voice stirred her from her thoughts and she realized that the dance was nearly over and that the DJ was preparing one last pop song for an encore.

Neither of them was up for any more energetic movement, so Jaune escorted her off of the dance floor, still drawing a few giggles from the other students as he paraded through the room in his dress.

Pyrrha let him guide them out of the recreation center and across the campus, into the dorm building, until she realized where he was taking them. He opened a door and their balcony awaited them.

They sat together on the edge, Pyrrha still leaning on Jaune, who had his arm around her shoulders. "Mmm," she sighed once more and smiled. "Jaune?" her voice was barely a whisper.

"Yeah?"

"I have to know, what made you do it? What made you come back?"

Jaune smiled and stared up at the moon. "Well, Neptune helped a lot, actually. I found out that he turned Weiss down and he said I could ask her if I wanted to. But he got me thinking… All this time I've been chasing Weiss and she's never given me the time of day, yet…" His voice trailed off and he stared out into the night sky.

Pyrrha shifted her head so she could gaze at him, and he turned his head to catch her eyes. "Yet…?" she asked, her voice low and quivering slightly, anxious of his reasons. She was terrified that this perfect night, this wonderful evening, would be a one-time thing.

"Yet, it was then I realized that it wasn't Weiss I wanted. Sure, she's pretty and smart and rich and famous—" Pyrrha elbowed him, "ow! But! I realized why I chased after her, despite her being way out of my league. It's because…it's hard to word it, but I wasn't afraid of being turned down by her. She had every reason to. And I thought you did too. I was afraid that if I asked you out, I'd be rejected by you as well. And…and I didn't want to split our team up by acting on my feelings and having them rejected."

"Jaune…" Pyrrha started, but Jaune stopped her.

"Pyrrha, I've had a crush on you since we met. I just...it's like you said, I thought I wasn't good enough for you."

"Well," Pyrrha said, turning back to the skyline, eyes closed, her arms folded over her chest, "I hope you've learned your lesson."

"Yes, ma'am," Jaune said.

Pyrrha turned to grin at Jaune but found his face only inches from hers. His eyes gazed deep into hers and she swallowed hard. Slowly, they leaned in, both still rather afraid of taking that first step.

Finally, Jaune pushed against Pyrrha and pressed his lips to hers, their lips colliding, and Pyrrha literally saw sparks as the fireworks started going off—all thanks to Yang, no doubt.

Pyrrha pushed into the kiss, desperately pressing her body to Jaune's trying to get as close to him as possible, a movement answered in kind by Jaune as he put a hand on the back of Pyrrha's neck, pulling her in. They kissed for several, long minutes before finally pulling apart, breathless and flushed red. Jaune's sapphire eyes bore deep into Pyrrha's emeralds before they crashed together again, a little more desperate than before.

Nearly two semesters of pent up feelings made Pyrrha ferocious as she finally claimed her prize, while two semesters of rejection caused Jaune to be more enthusiastic.

Once more they pulled apart, and Jaune ran his hand over Pyrrha's soft cheeks, a thumb wiping away the small tear he found there. "Why are you crying?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.

"Because I'm so happy," was her reply, as she laughed softly through the tears. Jaune pulled her in once more, albeit with less desperation and more purpose. The kiss was softer, gentler, and lasted the entirety of the grand finale, the smell of gunpowder settling over their rooftop perch. The heavy booms and crackles settled down and cheering could be heard beneath them as the students celebrated together.

Up here, however, in their private spot, Jaune and Pyrrha felt separated from the world below.

"Jaune… you're still wearing a dress," Pyrrha noted.

Jaune looked down, raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "Yes, so it would seem.

"Come on, Arc, let's get you out of those clothes," Pyrrha said with a sly grin.

"Never thought I'd hear those words from you, Nikos," Jaune answered, just as slyly, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Come on, Jaune," she stood and stretched out her hand, and Jaune took it.

They walked together, arms around each other, back to their dorm. Pyrrha's hands would wander and Jaune would push it away, yet as they made their way back to their shared dorm, Pyrrha wasn't worried about the future. She'd won. She'd gotten her prize. And she would treasure him every day, forever, and always.

* * *

_Author's Note: Damn, I've been wanting to do that one for a very VERY long time. You're welcome, Arkos shippers. Oh wait, I'M an Arkos shipper. Thanks, me! You're welcome, me._

_I'm not crazy..._


	9. In Which Neo Rescues Roman

**Three Weeks After Cinder's Coupe**

Neo yawned and sat up, her hair sticking out in several directions, much like feathers on an angry owl. She yawned again, stretched like a cat, and then swung her legs over the side of the king-sized bed. Ignoring the messy white sheets and mattress, she made her way to the bathroom, stopped, then turned and stalked towards the kitchen.

A few swift presses of buttons and dark, frothy liquid poured from the black machine in front of her. She grabbed the pink mug once it was full and slowly dragged her feet over to the refrigerator, grabbing some milk and strawberry creamer.

Once the concoction was complete, she took one gulp of the steaming liquid and walked to the living room. She sat in front of the large flat-screen monitor, flicking the device on and settling on the news channel VNN where Lisa Lavender was reporting on the rebuilding effort.

Neo set her mug in front of her, and then lay down on her stomach. Slowly, she lifted her legs in the air and held them for a few moments before letting them down again. She repeated the motion several times, her legs lifting higher and higher with each rep. By the thirteenth rep, she was supported only by her elbows, keeping the pressure off of her breasts. Her feet pointed straight at the ceiling and she sipped her coffee while balancing on alternating elbows.

As she let her legs fall into a split position, the boring news program took a sudden turn into interesting territory and Neo's chocolate brown eyes focused on the image of the redheaded master criminal that had stolen Neo's heart.

"In other news, master criminal Roman Torchwick, who has been detained for his part in the attempted coup by the sorceress Cinder Fall, is being extradited to Atlas, where he will face the Atlesian High Court for war crimes."

Neo narrowed her eyes and flipped up into the air, landing in perfect splits, her mug between her legs. She leaned forward and touched the smug mugshot that hovered in the corner of the screen.

If he was being extradited, she needed to find out when and _soon._

_Time to pay a visit to Junior._

* * *

When Hei Xiong saw the brown, white, and pink hair flow into his club like a gentle brook, he knew that the wake of destruction she would leave behind would be anything but. He tossed back the rest of his scotch and straightened his tie. "Neopolitan! Good to see you again…" He tried; he really did, to uphold a convincing façade of confidence but Neo saw right through it.

She smiled silently at him and he chuckled nervously, his smile slipping. "Listen, Neo, I'm sorry about Roman, truly, but there wasn't anything I could do about it. Atlas just doesn't bow to the criminal underworld like Vale does, even to nice guys like me."

Neo simply shook her head and twirled her parasol, _tsk_-ing with each twirl. She walked over to the bar counter and casually set down a small datapad next to where the Malachite twins were sitting. They both eyed Junior and he shook his head and shrugged. Melanie picked up the device and thumbed through its contents.

"She wants…" her voice trailed off and she turned to Neo. "You can't be serious. The Boss would never agree to this."

Miltia plucked the datapad from her sister's grip and after a few seconds, hurled it at Junior. "Way to go, asshole."

The twins folded their arms and glared at their employer. Junior caught the device and stared at the image that burned on the screen. A single playing card illuminated the device: the Jack of Spades.

Junior dropped the device and fell to his knees. He knew what the card meant and he knew that his only hope was a blonde girl who really didn't like him that much.

"Tell Roman…" Junior began, "tell him, when you see him, tell him that he'll pay for this."

The tall man scratched his trimmed, black beard then turned to the Malachites. "Girls, I'm sorry. Just…come back safe. Please."

He then turned back to Neo, who smirked as she unsheathed her hidden blade from the handle of her parasol. Junior held an arm out and Neo slashed across the limb, slicing the man's white shirt and staining it red. She then reached out and coated her hand in the boss' blood before shaking his hand, sealing the deal.

Junior put on his red sunglasses and made his way to the door, the heavy beat behind him suddenly silent. All of his men watched him leave, and then turned their eyes to their new boss. Neo's eyes flashed pink and she bowed low to her recently acquired army.

The Malachites stood and faced the short woman, shoulder to shoulder. "What would you have us do…Boss…?"

* * *

Through the Malachites and Junior's underground networks, Neo learned that Roman would be extradited via a Spearhead corvette airship waiting at the docks. He would be delivered by an armored caravan of Valean XR-Vav military trucks, one of which contained a Meta-class mechsuit.

This would pose only a small problem. Neo matched the Atlesian escort man-for-man, and should any hunters or huntresses appear, she or the Malachites could deal with them easily enough.

So, Neo pored over the route and chose the best spot to attack. Thirteen miles out from the docks, the road wound through a small outcropping of trees and tall mountain rocks. The tall redwoords would prevent any substantial air support, and the tall rocks provided cover from the convoy's mounted turrets.

The only downside would be that the Atlesians would expect an incursion to occur there and would be prepared.

It was no matter to Neo, however. Her forces were entirely disposable and all she had to do was free Roman of his shackles and deliver his weapon, and he could handle the rest.

With the plan formulated and the location chosen, Neo chose a secluded spot behind a large boulder and began her stretching.

* * *

"All I'm saying is that the Atlesians have the biggest firepower."

"Firepower is good, but what matters is heart."

"Dude, you sound so gay when you say that."

"Dude, I AM gay."

"_Most_ of the time."

Sun and Neptune laughed and Roman rolled his eyes, groaning.

"What's the matter, sourpuss?" Sun leaned in from his seat and looked into Roman's eyes.

"Look, I'm well and happy for you lovebirds, but could you keep it down. I'm trying to get my beauty sleep here."

Neptune lifted an eyebrow and eyed Sun. "Oh, I am SO sorry, your worshipfulness. I didn't mean to interrupt your nap. Shall I let you sleep? Would you like a pillow? Maybe a blankie?"

"Now that you mention it, sweetheart, yes. Yes I would."

"Well too bad," Sun chimed in again, his tail flitting around his head. "Where you're going, there won't be any blankets, pillows, nothing. You deserve to rot for your part in Cinder's little uprising."

"Fellas, fellas," Roman leaned back against his chair, and if his hands weren't chained to the floor, he would've thrown them into the air in a gesture of innocence. "I'm innocent."

"Right. And my mother is the Courtesan Queen of Vacuo," Sun retorted.

Before Roman could talk back, the truck's intercom buzzed and the lead vehicle reported in. "Coming up on a bend in the road. Be advised, low visibility and zero air support. Watch for mike tangos. Over."

"Heads on swivels, gunners. They're out there."

The back of the truck fell silent and Sun reached over, squeezing Neptune's hand lightly. Neptune smiled reassuringly at Sun.

A few minutes passed and every small bump or jolt sent shivers up Sun's spine. Finally, he let out a pent up breath. "Hey, Nep, I think we made it!"

Suddenly, the world became fire and explosions.

* * *

Neo's face bore a wide grin as salvo after salvo of missiles turned the convoy into scrap metal. The vehicles in the far front and rear that escaped the initial blasts were immediately vacated and the blue-armored Atlesians dove behind rocks and trees, desperately seeking cover. A few brave soldiers held their positions in the turrets and opened fire on the hill to their left, tracer rounds lighting up the dusky sky.

One stray rocket hit the center vehicle, the one containing Roman, and sent it flying against a tree, where it ricocheted back to the road, landing upside down. Neo turned to the one responsible for the stray rocket and looped her left foot around his neck, snapping it.

When the mobsters ran out of rockets, they drew their swords and charged in. The two forces collided, the Atlesians countering the red energy weapons with their own arc-prods.

With Melanie and Miltia on either side of her, Neo calmly skipped towards the battlefield. Sun and Neptune staggered from the center vehicle, coughing from the smoke. Neo rushed past them and dove into the large, burning wreck.

* * *

Sun reached out and found Neptune's shoulder, and the pair checked each other over until they were satisfied there were no wounds.

"What the actual fuck is going on?" Sun shouted over the deafening roar of battle.

"Must be here for Roman!" Neptune shouted back.

"No shit," was Sun's muttered reply.

"What?"

"I said, 'We need to secure the VIP!'" The pair turned to the wreck of their ride and saw the driver's upper torso impaled by a shard of glass six feet away from where his lower half still twitched, coated in flame.

In the light of the fire, the pair saw the Malachite twins step in front of the car. Neptune's eyebrows raised and he reached out. "Mel, Miltia! What are you doing here?"

"None of your business," Miltia said.

Melanie, on the other hand, seemed almost saddened by the turn of events. "I'm sorry, Neptune. We work for Roman now."

Sun leaned in, "Dude, what _is_ it with you and girls in white?"

Neptune shrugged, "They're cute."

Sun nodded, "Yeah. You're not wrong."

They both readied themselves and the Malachites charged. Miltia swung her wrist blades at Sun who expertly dodged each strike, using his kung-fu training to block and counter-strike whenever possible.

Neptune was not fairing as well as his partner, and Melanie's constant kicks kept him on constant defense. Finally, he sighed and whipped out Poseidon and slammed the glaive down on Melanie's head. "Sorry!" he called out as he ran over to Sun. The Faunus cross-blocked an overhead strike and staggered Miltia, who tripped over Neptune's weapon before Sun kicked her into unconsciousness.

"Oh, bravo my little _junior_ detectives. Bravo."

Roman faced them, Neo at his side, both brandishing their weapons.

* * *

Neo dove into the wreck, leaving the Malachites to deal with her beloved's captors. She didn't much care what happened to them. All that mattered was making sure Roman was safe.

She spotted him, dangling from his seat, still chained to the floor of the vehicle. A couple swift swipes from her blade, and he fell into her arms, groaning slightly. "N…Neo?"

"I'm here, love. I'm here." Her voice was small and soft, barely audible above the crackling fire, creaking metal, and sounds of battle.

Roman's bright green eyes stared up, unflinching, into the chocolate brown of Neo's. She drew him into a deep kiss, her ice-cream flavored lips pressing against his.

"I missed you," she breathed, her forehead to his.

"I missed you, too, my dear," was his reply. "Let's get out of here."

She nodded and handed him his cane.

* * *

"Bravo." Roman's confidence soared. Around them, Junior's men—_his _men, were steadily beating back the blue and white Atlesian Guard.

"No!" Neptune cried, "Team RWBY fought so hard to capture you. I will _not_ let you leave here!"

"Neo, if you don't mind, I have a score to settle with the Faunus boy."

The short woman grinned and cartwheeled towards Neptune, her white coat tails flailing in the wind as Neptune readied his glaive. His opponent danced around him, smiling all the while, her parasol twirling, twirling…twirling, distracting! Neptune rolled out of the way as a ferocious gun blast tore from the tip of the umbrella and ripped through the air where his head was only moments ago. A quick spin followed by an uppercut was Neptune's response, but the two blows missed as Neo skipped backwards.

Neptune sprinted forward and used his glaive to pole-vault over Neo's position, landing low in the grass behind her, his weapon already in rifle form. Charged blue plasma hurled toward the petite woman and she cartwheeled out of the way. The last blast seemed to hit her however, and Neptune whooped. "Gotcha!"

Yet as the dirt settled from the force of the blast, he saw only shattered images of the woman strewn across the ground, already fading away in the moonlight. Neptune whirled around and caught the woman's hidden blade in the crook of his trident-mode.

With her blade locked in, Neptune swept her legs out from under her and slammed her on the ground. Her white eyes went wide and she gasped audibly. Neptune straddled her and hefted his trident, bringing the haft down onto…nothing.

The image of Neo dissolved and Neptune found himself straddling a boulder. He barely had time to turn around before Neo's high-heeled boot collided with the back of his neck, sending him reeling into a foggy daze.

A few meters away, Sun was ferociously wielding Ruyi-bang and Jingu-bang with lightning speed and terrifying accuracy. Despite Roman's considerable experience and expertise, he was losing ground. Fury drove each of Sun's blasts, his resolutions absolute. He would not lose again.

Roman, weak from his captivity, simply couldn't hold his own, and with a few swift swipes, his cane flew from his hand and he found himself staring down two shotgun barrels.

Neo spotted the scene from where she stood and her brown eyes went wide. _No!_ Time almost seemed to slow as flame leapt from the barrel of each weapon. Neo gathered her aura around her, soft and pink, and focused it around the object of her affections. Her eyes blazed white and the world shattered.

Sun lowered his weapons, staring at the shattered glass slowly disintegrating around him. Roman was gone.

"Didn't think you guys were that powerful," he grunted, eyeing his gunchucks.

"Oh, they aren't." Roman's silky voice arose from behind him, and Sun turned just in time for Neo to plunge her parasol blade deep into Sun's chest.

Luckily, the Faunus shifted so the blade bypassed anything important. Still, it hurt like hell and he doubled over, coughing from pain, which only made it worse.

Neo smirked and leaned in close, "You will never harm my Roman with your filthy animal paws," she hissed—and nearly received a face full of Burn Dust as Sun flipped Ruyi-bang around, already readying another shot. Yet, once again, glass shattered and the pair of villains reappeared elsewhere. Sun whipped around and fired again, shards of aura energy flying.

The gunsmoke hadn't even risen from his weapon before he was turning and firing again. And again. And again. He spun around, his weapons twirling around his fingers faster than the eye could track, and just as quickly Neo summoned her aura, the substitutions taking her place time and time again. Only moments later, the air was full of flying shards and the thick smoke of a hundred discarded Burn Dust shells.

Sun fell to his knees, Roman's cane to his neck. "See you 'round, you filthy primate," Roman sneered, and he pulled the trigger. Sun catapulted into oblivion.

Beside him, Neo heaved, her breathing was shallow, uneven, and she was coated in a thick sheen of shimmering sweat. Such rapid usage of her aura had exhausted her stores of aura and tired her considerably. Roman leaned down and scooped her into his arms, where she lay, limp.

"We're almost out, Neo. Hang on."

He started making his way through the wreckage of the battle. Bodies littered the ground.

* * *

Roman had made it to a small pass that led further up the mountain when a low creaking sound emerged from the forest behind him. The redhead whirled around and eyed the source of the noise: a seven-foot tall, white mech-suit with most of the paint and armor burned off. The EVA helmet was cracked and the pilot inside was so burned and injured that he was only able to gurgle at the pair of criminals.

Yet, despite its crippled condition, Roman knew he was too weak to take it out. That didn't stop him from readying his cane. The pilot unsheathed a hybrid grenade launcher-machete and started running towards the two white-clad figures.

Roman raised his cane to block the incoming blow—only to stumble forward as the blow never came. Two loud _paps_ and the pilot was bleeding through two holes in his head. The suit locked up and the pilot bled to death standing up.

Turning slowly, Roman saw four black-armored troopers bearing the Atlesian crest slowly form up around a tall figure in white.

Roman growled.

"Hello, Mister Torchwick," greeted General James Ironwood. His hands were clasped behind his back, gloved in white. "I have a proposition for you."

"How about…fuck you?" Roman retorted, leaning down to check on Neo. She was still breathing, albeit shallowly.

Ironwood sighed. "Impertinent as always, Roman. Let me rephrase: You're coming with me, or you both die here and now."

Roman eyed the soldiers, who all cocked their rifles simultaneously. "Alright. You have my attention."

Ironwood cracked a smile, his grey eyebrows rising in an amused expression. "Excellent! You see, Roman, I know that you didn't work for Cinder Fall by choice. She hired you or coerced you or whatever, I get it, I do. Now," Ironwood paced back and forth, "all I want is for you to join me instead. I could use you and your…" he eyed Neo, "…many talents."

You come with me, tell me all you know about Black Taurus and Cinder Fall, and in return, you will survive the coming Devestation."

"The coming devestation?" Roman repeated.

"No, not 'devastation'," Ironwood sighed, "'Devastation.' Capital 'D'. It's a whole plan involving—you know what? How about I just show you?"

Roman looked down to where Neo was groggily waking. She looked up at Roman with complete trust, and Roman knew that he would do whatever it took to survive any devastation, but only if she lived too.

"Alright," Roman said, "deal."

Ironwood grinned.

* * *

_Author's Note: Whoo! This was a LONG time in the making! I had to make it epic for you! Roman and Neo, a Harley Quinn/Joker romance (but without all the emotional and physical abuse). Got a bit of Sea Monkeys in there (and yes, my headcanon is that they are the straightest gay couple ever)._

_Now the question is...did this answer your questions? Or leave you with even more? Hmm? Well, you'll just have to see. Junior, Roman, Neo, the Malachites, and even Junior's Mob, they all have their parts to play. Only time will tell where these pieces will end up in the grand game of S/S!_

_Thank you all, so very very much, for all of your continued support. If you haven't already, follow me on Twitter or drop a like on Facebook. ( rwby_ss and "RWBY: Sunshine and Shadows", respectively). You all are awesome. The encouragement and support has really been a big help to me, especially lately. I love all of you guys!_

_So thank you all again and I will see you all in the next chapter!_


	10. In Which Love Wins: A WhiteRose Proposal

**Three Years, Eleven Months, and Twelve Days After Cinder's Coup**

Ruby fumbled with the ring on her finger. Just a little over four years ago, Weiss had given it to her before she'd departed to the Vault to train with Qrow and Ozpin. _I guess that's six years, my time. Ugh._ Ruby hated the missing two years of her life. For everyone else, it'd been a few days, but for her, it had been almost two years. Her internal clock was still all sorts of messed up.

Most days she just ignored the nagging sensation of feeling out of place.

The Gauntlet weighed heavily on her right arm. Thankfully, it was slim and didn't interfere with everyday life too much. If she concentrated really hard, she could almost feel her sense of touch through the cool metal.

The worst part about it was definitely the sex. Whenever she and Weiss would make love, she had to be very careful with her right hand placement. Once, Weiss, in a rather rare frisky mood, asked Ruby to use the Gauntlet. No sooner had Ruby's fingers entered her partner, than the Gauntlet emitted a short but intense electrical pulse. Weiss had shrieked so loudly, Yang burst into their room to see what was going on. The sight was mortifying for both sisters _and_ the heiress, and it took a full three months for Ruby to convince Weiss to sleep with her again.

The Gauntlet, at first, had seemed furious. Almost, as if to say, "I am NOT a sex toy!" Now, the vague consciousness of the ancient device simply seemed to remember the time with mirth. Ruby smiled to herself and pulled the ring off of her finger.

The ring was silver and slim, simple yet elegant. The setting that held the stone was shaped like a snowflake, and the ruby that adorned it was a not-so-subtle message. The ruby completed the snowflake, and without it, the snowflake would be lesser. Ruby had poured a lot of thought into the meaning of the ring, as she would with anything else. When she'd figured it out, Weiss had been left reeling by the amount of passion that her lover had displayed, both in the bedroom and out.

Ruby flipped the ring in the air and caught it perfectly on her finger, the band sliding down her slim finger. The girl smiled and stood from the bench she was seated on.

It was time.

She crossed the street and walked into the store.

* * *

Weiss delicately caressed the ring on her finger. The white-silver shone brightly in the light. Of course the shop would be well lit; it was, after all, a jewelry store. The heiress strode to the counter and approached the shopkeep, an elderly woman who's eyes seemed almost closed due to the wideness of her smile.

"Why hello, Miss Schnee! It's been quite a while! How are you, dear?"

"I'm well, Ms. Andersson, thank you."

"And how are things with Miss Rose?"

Weiss smiled and set her hand down on the counter.

"Oh… Oh! Oh sweetie! Gerald!" the woman hollered, " Gerald, dear, come here!"

"What is it woman?" a comically stooped old man came shuffling from the back of the shop. "I'm in the middle of—oh. Oh my goodness."

Tears pricked the corners of both elders' eyes. "Isn't that beautiful, Gerald?"

"The craftsmanship is superb! The subtle imagery she used, and is that…?" The old man sniffed a few times, "Adamantium! Why, that metal isn't even native to our world! How would she get her hands on it? And to blend it into silver so flawlessly…"

The couple continued to gush over the ring while Weiss stood there, blushing deep red. She slowly pulled her hand back and straightened her cream skirt and brushing her side-ponytail back over her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry that I never came back in to see you. After the coup, there was a lot to do. Then school work and graduation. Then there was the company, and I just—"

"Dearie," the woman cut her off, "you needn't worry about us. We're just happy to see you happy. You've been all over the news, what with your company and all."

Weiss' smile fell. "Yes, my _father_ has been…difficult in these past few months. Hard to believe it's been a year since I graduated… Thankfully, I have a very helpful partner in Blake. She's gathered so much support from the Faunus employees, and even the humans that support them. With Ruby's huntress career already in full swing, we've not had a lot of time together. Which actually brings us to why I'm here…"

"Adamantium…" Gerald was still mumbling to himself, his wispy white hair swishing as he paced back and forth, the jewelers monocle still firmly stuck in his eye. "How did she…?"

"Gerald," his wife cooed, calling him out of his train of thought.

"Yes, yes. I shall make you another ring. It will outshine Miss Rose's ring a hundredfold!"

Weiss covered her mouth and giggled as the old man took her hand and stared intently at the ring.

"Well, Mr. Andersson, I think a little competition is healthy, after all, Ruby designed and crafted the ring herself."

"Of course she did!" Gerald said. "Those Rose girls have always been extremely crafty. Did you know that Summer Rose was going to open up her own smithy? Poor lass, tragedy that."

Everyone was silent for a moment before Gertrude cleared her throat. "Well, Miss Schnee, any requests for the ring?"

Weiss smiled and stared at her finger. "Actually, yes. Here's what I had in mind…"

* * *

Weiss knocked on the door of Yang and Blake's apartment. The ring would be ready in a few days and there was just one more thing to take care of. Something that she knew Ruby would also be doing right now, were she able.

Blake answered the door and let Weiss in, but not after a huge hug. "Blake! How are you?"

"Things are good," Blake replied, a smile on her face. "Yang is huntressing full time, which leaves me home alone to watch after Zwei and work on the computer. I've got this great new idea for uniting the Faunus and human workforces. I think we can really break some common ground here."

Blake's smile lit up the room and Weiss beamed. "That's great! I can't wait to finally take the fight to Atlas. Speaking of, have you…?"

Blake's smile fell. "I haven't had a chance. She won't take it well. Not everyone has a girlfriend with magical teleporting armor."

Weiss nodded and sighed. "I understand. Just don't put this off too long. We leave in a few weeks."

"Is that Weiss?" Yang shouted from the bathroom.

"Yes, darling!" Blake hollered back.

"Be right there!"

Weiss stifled a laugh and glanced around. The apartment was small, but cozy. With only Yang's huntress income, they were stuck in a rather unfortunate situation. A situation that Weiss offered to remedy by letting them stay in the higher suites at her hotels. But both Yang and Blake had refused, and Weiss had to admit, the apartment really suited them. It may be cramped, but they were together, living and getting by, making a good life for themselves.

Finally, Yang emerged from the bathroom. "Hey, Weiss-Rice! How're you?"

Weiss grimaced but soon smiled and hugged the tall blonde. "I'm well, and depending on how this conversation goes, I'll be even well…er? More well?"

Yang laughed and shook her head. "Don't ask me, you're the princess here."

"Anyway, I've come to ask a very important question today."

Yang raised an eyebrow but leaned against the wall and motioned for Weiss to continue. Blake quietly excused herself.

"Yang, about four years ago, we talked about my future and the plans I had for it. You were…rather short with me, which was understandable, but I wanted to have this conversation again."

Yang raised an eyebrow, but she, thankfully, remained silent.

"Here's the deal. I love your sister. I love her so much and I want to spend the rest of forever with her. She had absolutely stricken me and stolen my heart. I love her, Yang. More than anything in this world."

The very tall, very intimidating blonde stepped forward, scowling, and Weiss gulped.

The woman scooped Weiss up and twirled her around. "About time, Weissy!"

Blake leaned against the small half-wall that separated the kitchenette from the rest of the living space, smiling.

"Hear that, kitten? Weiss is gonna be my sister-in-law!" The woman beamed and Weiss swore that her hair was glowing a little bit.

Weiss' smile soon grew to match her other teammates' and they laughed and talked for a while, with Weiss describing the ring and how she planned to propose. Eventually, however, she excused herself. It was getting late and there was one more place she needed to go.

* * *

"Hello, Taiyang." Weiss entered the hospital door quietly. The hunter was sleeping peacefully, thought, that's all he ever did anymore. He'd lost half of his aura in a battle against the villain, Cinder Fall. While he was very slowly recovering, he was still comatose.

"I came to talk to you about asking your daughter's hand in marriage. Call me old fashioned, but I've always thought it rather romantic. I know Ruby would, too. Though, I imagine, you'd be more like Yang, brushing it off and laughing." Weiss smiled and reached out, touching the stocky hunter's hand, hers seeming tiny compared to his large palms.

She'd seen the pictures of young Qrow and Taiyang, rather skinny young men. Now they were both these mountainous bears and Weiss understood where Ruby and Yang got their growth spurts from.

"The thing is, Mr. Xiao Long, Taiyang, sir…" Weiss cleared her throat. "The thing is, I love your daughter. I love her so much. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I want her family to be my family. I love Yang, and I love Blake, and I love you. I know we've never officially met, but with all of the stories that Qrow, Yang, and Ruby tell, I know I will love you as if you were my very own father. Growing up in my household was…very different from what Ruby describes. Life on Patch…that must've been heaven for you."

The heiress stopped, finding herself suddenly saddened. "I know that Ruby and Yang have been struck by tragedy more often than anyone should be, and I want you to know that I will never do anything to hurt your daughter. I will always work at being the wife that I know you expect me to be. The love I feel in my heart is deep and pure and will never wash away. I will love her just as deeply in five years, ten years, thirty years, as I do right now, at this very moment."

She reached out and put her hand on the scruffy blond beard that covered Taiyang's cheeks. "One day, sir, I hope to call you father, but until then, know that your daughter is in very good hands." She leaned in and kissed him softly on the cheek, at the corner of his mouth. "Thank you, Taiyang Xiao Long, for giving me the gift of Ruby Rose. For that, I am eternally grateful."

Weiss left the hospital with small tears in her eyes, but a swelling in her heart. Now she just had to wait for the ring.

* * *

Two weeks later, Weiss sat side-by-side with Ruby on a park bench. Ruby, for once, was not wearing her new _distracting_ huntress outfit. When she'd first unveiled her knew outfit, Weiss had immediately mounted her girlfriend. Weiss had even sewn Ruby a new cape to go with it; the old one was lost during the coup.

At first, Ruby had been hesitant. The cape had been a gift from her mother, and losing it had dealt a serious blow to the huntress. Yet, a few days later, Ruby was wearing the new, longer cape and loving it. She'd called it a 'rebirth', stating that some ends were new beginnings, and that made Weiss happy.

Weiss also noticed the lack of Crescent Rose. Since their graduation, Ruby never went anywhere without it, yet today it was curiously absent. In fact, Ruby herself was curious today. Eyeshadow, very faint lip gloss, and black nails adorned Ruby's features, and her hair was styled into a messy, yet somehow elegant bun. However, that was the extent of her gussying up as her outfit was a simple black tank top and long blue jeans with a pair of high heeled (as if she needed them) black sandals.

The heiress, as usual, wore a white skirt and a white jacket. The red bustier underneath really stood out against the starkness of her white ensemble. The tight thigh-high boots, she knew, would really drive Ruby wild. Even now, the huntress kept glancing away from her coffee to gaze at Weiss.

The woman smiled and took another sip of her mocha. Four years and Ruby still looked at her like she was the most extraordinarily beautiful creature she'd ever seen. There was a time when Weiss' vanity would've adored that. Now, her heart burst because she looked at Ruby the same way.

"Ruby, I…"

"Weiss, we…"

They both spoke at the same time, then giggled in unison. The red leaves of the park trees rustled around them. "You first," Weiss whispered, her hand on Ruby's leg.

Ruby squeezed the hand then shook her head. "No, you."

Weiss stared down into her cup before setting it down and standing up. "Ruby, we've been dating for… four years about, right?" Neither of them was very good at remembering the exact date they started dating and neither of them much cared, either. They were together and that was enough.

Ruby eyed Weiss but kept silent.

"We've been together for a long time, and it has been the best time of my life. You rescued me when I was alone. You saved me from myself. You loved me when I was unlovable. We've been through…so much together. We've fought side by side against unbelievable enemies. We've done so much _good_ together. When fate had us become partners all those years ago, in that big lonely forest, I thought 'there is no way this will ever work.' Yet, here we are."

Weiss walked over to Ruby and knelt on both knees in front of her. Ruby set down her coffee and took Weiss' offered hands. "Through everything, you've been there for me. You've been my friend, my partner, my team leader. You've made this life so special for me."

The white-haired girl sniffed and then laughed softly. "And the thing is, I know I'm stealing your thunder here."

Ruby laughed softly as well, tears beginning to drip from her eyes. "Weiss, ever since I met you, I've wanted your approval. When I gained that, I wanted your friendship. When I gained that, I found I wanted more. I fell so far and so fast that I didn't know what to do. You completed me in ways I never knew I need completing. I always thought you were some unattainable goddess, until I found that goddess in my bed, in my arms, and in my heart."

Weiss leaned forward and pressed her forehead to Ruby's, who leaned down into the pose. "Ruby, you've become my everything."

"I can't imagine a world without you, Weiss."

"Today…"

"I want to show you…"

'Everything I've ever felt…"

"Summed up perfectly into one tiny, crystalline moment in time…"

"And yet also completely undefinable…"

"I love you," they said in unison.

Both women reached into their pockets and produced their respective rings. There were no velvet boxes, no cards, no elaborate showing or even planned speeches. Everything they said, they said from the heart. This moment was, to them, as spontaneous as the beginning of their love, and as personal and deep as their commitment to each other.

Ruby took the ring from Weiss' hand—a black-steel band with a bright red cross engraved on either side of the setting, bearing a very lightly etched rose stem wrapping around each crucifix. The setting itself was shaped like petals, and the gem inside was a dazzling snow-white diamond, cut into a rose. Gerald, who could craft jewelry in hours, had spent two weeks, entirely dedicated to this singular piece of jewelry. Well, _mostly _dedicated.

Weiss took her ring and gasped. Inside the band, in tiny flowing script, were the initials G. &amp; G. A.. The ring was solid white-gold. It shimmered and sparkled, reflecting the light just as a snowflake would. On either side of the setting were three small rubies, perfectly circular. Almost indistinguishable was the engraving of a rose stem, threading through the rubies. In the center of the band was not a setting, but a circular disk that was a part of the band itself. The Schnee family crest was carved into the disk, but what really took Weiss' breath away, was the fact that the ruby inlaid in the engraving had not been cut, but _melted_.

"I…" they said, once again in unison.

No further words were spoken. The pair looked at each other, gazing deep into blue and silver eyes. Their passion peaked and they pulled each other into a deep kiss.

After several minutes of deep, passionate kissing, they pulled away.

"Will you marry me?" they both asked.

"Yes," they both replied.

* * *

Their walk home was interrupted by a call on Ruby's scroll.

"Hello?" she answered. Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my… Dust… I'll be right there."

She closed the scroll and turned to Weiss. "That was Neptune. Sun was at Blake and Yang's place. Something happened. Yang hit Blake."

Weiss' eyes widened. "Let's go, Ruby."

The taller woman nodded. "Yeah."

* * *

_Author's Note: #LoveWins 6/26/15_

_After yesterday's monumental occasion, I had to write this chapter first. I was going to start it after my planned Arkos chapter, but this...this could not wait._

_The Arkos chapter should be out tomorrow evening, so stay tuned. Also, the hiatus for Part II may be shortened, if I can find enough time to finish the chapter I was halfway through. I just needed a break from the storyline to write some filler fluff. You know how it is._

_Thank you guys, as always, for reading. And thank you, especially, that supported me and every other member of the LGBTQ community. Love wins!_


	11. In Which Pyrrha and Jaune Train

**Three Days after Prom**

"On your left!" Pyrrha called as she passed Jaune for the umpteenth time.

Jaune rolled his eyes and continued his jog, sweat staining his tight, white t-shirt. His short, black athletic shorts fluttered with each step he took and his chest heaved with effort. Despite his slim, muscular build, he was still, very much a slouch, and the level of physical activity demanded of him by Pyrrha was inhuman.

He watched his new girlfriend jog away, his eyes on her swaying hips. Then again, at least he got a good view every time she passed him. Jaune narrowed his eyes. How dare she look so good, coated in sweat, long maroon hair in a ponytail, a slim maroon shirt and skin-tight, black track shorts fitting tight against her…very curvaceous body.

That's when Jaune realized she _knew_ he was watching her. Pyrrha snatched her water bottle from its spot alongside the track and dumped the remnants of its contents over her face, water pouring down her throat and over her shirt, causing the material to highlight her features even more.

Jaune flushed red and Pyrrha laughed softly as she slowed her pace, allowing Jaune to catch up.

"Come on, Jaune! You need to pick up the pace!"

"Easy for you to say, Pyrrha," Jaune panted, "you're all…like that," he gestured to her, "and I'm all like…this," he pointed to himself.

She put her hand on his shoulder and stopped him. Throughout the park, birds chirped and the blood red leaves of the everfall trees rustled in the soft wind. In the distance, Beacon Academy rose from the cliff side, watching over all of Vale. "Jaune," Pyrrha started.

"I know, I know…" Jaune sighed and shrugged Pyrrha's slender hand from its perch on his shoulder. He resumed his jog, leaving Pyrrha to sigh, and then smile as she remembered for the hundredth time that day what had happened during the dance just three days past.

Pyrrha quietly caught up to Jaune and grabbed his face, planting a big kiss on his lips before slapping his rear. His face flushed bright crimson and he whirled around, but Pyrrha was already dancing away from his arms and started sprinting off, rounding the corner of the reflection pool that played host to the pair's daily jogs.

Jaune squinted at her and growled, but Pyrrha's melodic laughter only echoed around the nearly empty park. This early in the morning, Jaune had decided, was not a place, but an emotion. Nora had slapped him over the head for saying that.

Setting his shoulders back, the warrior pushed himself harder, determined to catch up to the laughter and the swaying ponytail that taunted him.

She was fast. Of course, he already knew this, but it was somewhat different when _he_ was the one trying to catch up to her. Jaune pushed forward with new determination and his legs picked up speed. He ignored the throbbing ache that began to form in his feet and thighs, pushing past the threshold his body had set. The only way to get stronger was to break the limits.

Almost dancing in front of him, Pyrrha was soon within reach. Jaune reached out and snagged the back of her shirt, halting her momentum and bringing it colliding into his own. The pair tumbled to the ground, Pyrrha landing on Jaune's prostrated form with a soft _oof_. Jaune groaned and the redhead quickly scooted off of him, kneeling at his side to make sure he was okay. When she rolled him over to his back, she saw a huge smile plastered across his face. He began to laugh and reached out, pulling her down on top of him and wrapping his arms around her.

"Hey…" he panted, "I'm getting…faster…almost as fast…as you."

She giggled at that. "I surely hope so, Jaune. One of these days, I'll take you to my favorite place. But," she amended, "only if you can beat me fair and square."

"So, never?"

They dissolved back into laughter and Pyrrha found her head on his chest, listening to his wildly thumping heart.

* * *

"Concentrate, Jaune! This is basic aurology. Using your soul as a shield should be second nature to a hunter or huntress. You've the capacity for a strong shield, the strongest I've ever encountered. You have the potential for greatness, Jaune. Now! Shields! Up!"

Pyrrha came at him hard and fast and without mercy. She knew his limits better than anyone and she pushed him past them. No more closed eyes, no more wild sword swings—this time he would fight with skill and with strength, not by luck.

The shield was hurtling toward his head, guided by aura energy. Jaune stood his ground, hefting his own shield. The round buckler bounced off of his own kite shield and ricocheted back towards its owner. Next came the gladius, slashing ferociously, only stopped by Jaune's longsword. Several resounding slices came next, all blocked by only slight shifts in Jaune's stance. He was improving.

Next, Jaune decided to mix things up. After all, unpredictability was key in battle. He twirled his sword into a reverse grip and countered Pyrrha's renewed assault with his own slashes. As she always taught, the only difference between a block and a strike was location. Thus, Jaune began blocking with his sword and striking with his shield, maintaining his unpredictable fighting style for a few minutes until his hand slipped and Pyrrha knocked his sword away.

Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization. He grinned and snatched his sword from its resting position on the floor of the gym. Pyrrha readied her weapons, raising an eyebrow. However, she said nothing as she prepared for another bout.

Jaune readied himself, the new logic clicking into place. As Pyrrha's gladius hurtled down for an overhead strike, Jaune tossed his weapon and shield aside. Pyrrha realized, too late, what he was doing, and the blow connected.

Sparks flew and a white flash filled the gym, startling some of the other sparring students. As the flare died down, Pyrrha opened her flinching eyes and stared in wonder at Jaune, who was coated in a pale white light. Pyrrha's gladius rested on his shoulder and nary was a wound inflicted upon him. He laughed and rolled his shoulders.

"Yep. That'd do it alright."

"Jaune…" Pyrrha's downcast gaze was suddenly aimed at him and her ferocity took him aback. He stepped back as a punch landed squarely on his other shoulder. The blow had barely connected when Pyrrha grabbed him with the same hand and pulled him to her. "Don't do that ever again."

"Relax, Pyr, I had it under control. Finally."

His arms found themselves around her and he comforted her.

"I won't do it again, promise."

"Good. That was foolish and reckless and what were you thinking?"

"Just had a hunch, and I was right."

"A hunch?" She pulled back and looked into his sapphire eyes. "What was this hunch of yours?"

"Nah, I gotta keep some secrets for myself." Jaune grinned and patted her shoulder.

"If you insist, team leader," was her chilled response. "I think that's enough for today." She turned and grabbed her weapons, holstering them on her back.

As she walked away, Jaune called from behind her, "Hey, meet me at A Simple Wok, okay? My treat."

Pyrrha's icy fear and cold anger melted away and she nodded. "Okay, Jaune. I'll see you there."

* * *

"Alright, spill. Why were you so mad at me earlier?" Jaune said through a mouthful of lo mein.

Pyrrha swallowed her bite pointedly before answering, "You scared me."

"I scared you? The great Pyrrha?" Jaune laughed and swirled another bunch of noodles around his fork.

Pyrrha set her chopsticks down and turned to Jaune, her eyes down and face red. "Yes. I was scared. When I spar, I take it seriously. Sometimes too seriously. I lose myself in the heat of battle with a worthy foe and I forget where I am. You disarmed too quickly for me to do anything—"

"That was the idea," Jaune interrupted.

"—and it scared me. I thought I'd hurt you. Or worse."

Jaune took a moment, his eyes lost in thought, then replied, "I don't think you would've. You'd never hurt a teammate."

"You don't know that, Jaune. Back at Sanctum…the trials there, the tournaments? They paired us off. The first year, I was paired with a skilled young woman, named Terra. She and I battled back to back through the ranks. In the end, however, there can only be one winner, and I struck her down in the final round before dealing with our opponents by myself. The following years, I solidified a brutal reputation, and often, I'd partner with unsavory individuals. People who would use their hunting skills for war or for worse. These people usually tried to betray me first, but I always won. Always.

Never a day goes by where I don't think of Terra and what I did to her. She dropped out of hunting school, disappeared. I betrayed my only friend, and for what? Glory? Honor? There is not glory or honor in combat. There is a winner and there is a loser. And I promised myself I'd always win no matter what."

Pyrrha threw back her sake and rested her head on the table as Jaune processed the new information.

"Is that why you moved here? To Vale?" he asked.

She nodded, her head still against the counter.

"Well, you've got a new start then. Three teammates, one of whom is your boyfriend, who trust you with their lives. I mean, you trust me, even though I've never been to a real training school. So stop worrying about it, okay?" His eyes sparkled in the midday sun and Pyrrha couldn't help herself but to smile at his awkward charm.

"As you say, Jaune."

"Now come on. A toast—to new beginnings. For both of us."

He raised his sake cup and she replied in kind. The small glasses clinked together and Pyrrha smiled.

* * *

_Author's Note: This was supposed to be released...how many days ago? Ugh. I need to stop making deadlines because I can never get things finished in time. For those of you who don't know, I stabbed myself in the arm with a sword during a training exercise. This chapter was my physical therapy for today, so please forgive any spelling errors and whatnots._

_For the future of S/S, I am trying to get things organized and myself motivated to write more chapters, however, my depression has reared its head with a new ferocity and I may actually end up trying to get medication for it and possibly start seeing a therapist. To those of you who've stuck around this long, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Know that I will continue to write S/S and ITM until I see my goal of Part III's conclusion. Just know that chapters my be spaced out even more so than they are. I'd LIKE to publish once a week, but I know that may not always be possible._

_That said, thank you all so much for the support I've gotten and the support I know I'll continue to receive. You guys are the best. Seriously._

_-**Keep Moving Forward**-_


	12. In Which Ruby Fulfills Her Fantasy

_**Warning: Like...a LOT of sex ahead. Seriously. This whole chapter is sex. Probably out to sit down. Don't be surprised if your panties turn into a moist towlette. Just saying, you've been warned.**_

**_I probably ought to make the sex warning a little more PG instead of PG-13. Eh... Oh well._**

* * *

**Roughly three years after Cinder's Invasion**

There she was: the shorter girl with the purple hair done in a cute bob. Her skin was like milk and she always wore the loose, cyan kimono that drove Ruby wild. The girl knew Ruby was following, of course, and she flicked her hair over her ear, giving a brief glance into deep violet eyes. Ruby's hand ran down her left eye and traced the fading, yet still noticeable, scar that had mirrored Weiss' for so long.

Heaving a sigh, Ruby turned around and finished placing the broccoli florets in her basket. Her own black and red kimono fluttered in the wind and her long, loose maroon hair blew across her face. As she looked up, she was mere inches away from those violet eyes. Cool spearmint wafted between the two women as the shorter one breathed erratically. An address whispered and then, in a burst of everfall leaves blown down in the cool autumn breeze, the girl was gone.

_What am I doing?_ Ruby thought.

She finished the shopping and meandered through the market place, a hybrid mix of modern kiosks manned by holographic virtual intelligences and traditional stalls manned by friendly citizens. Ruby loved this particular place of Vale. Just enough of both worlds to keep her firmly anchored in her own reality.

She flexed her right arm, the Gauntlet perfectly mimicking the movements of her original hand. It lay dormant now, the voices inside quiet. With so many souls of the living stolen and stored inside, the Gauntlet had been very talkative for a long time, and Ruby almost failed her second year at Beacon because of the thing. However, after many embarrassing incidents of seemingly talking to herself, Ruby passed her classes and graduated top of her class.

She sighed and lowered the armored limb to her side, carrying the basket in the crook of her left elbow. She made her way to the car that Weiss insisted she use and set the basket in the back seat.

"Where to, Miss Rose?"

"Take these back home, for me, okay? I want to walk around a bit more."

"But Miss Schnee said...!"

"Thank you, driver, that will be all," she interrupted, shutting the door and walking away. After a few moments, the sleek black vehicle whirred away. Most of Weiss' in-house servants knew not to mess with Ruby. Between the penthouse, the mansion, and the multiple hotel suites, Ruby was beginning to wish that Weiss would let her choose a house for them—something small and quaint, for just the two of them. But Weiss, or "Mistress Schnee, her _apparently royal_ highness" was too busy fighting Winter, her sister, in a series of legal battles for control of the company.

Ruby swung her arms back and forth, whistling softly to herself as she enjoyed the fair autumn weather. She missed her days at Beacon, where she could finish her homework, train with Crescent Rose, and still have time for romantic walks with her girlfriend.

The thought of the violet-haired woman would not get out of Ruby's mind, and she shook her head to clear her thoughts. Those eyes bored into her soul and before she knew what she was doing, Ruby was heading to the address of one of her esteemed girlfriend's many hotels. This one was smaller, residing closer to the industrial sector, but still far enough away that the view was pleasant. A relatively small building at ten stories, the Luna Bella was definitely still way out of Ruby's price range. She walked in the lobby and was surprised to see that inside of the quaint brown-bricked building, was a moon pool, the sound of trickling water wafting gently from beneath the plexiglass floor. The sunlight above filtered the early evening sun and the room glowed orange. The receptionist was a purple and orange hologram modeled after a famous actress, or soldier, Ruby couldn't remember which.

_An actress who played a soldier? Or a soldier who became an actress? Which was it? What was her name? Joan Leopard? Eh..._ Ruby gave up and approached the desk.

"Um..." she blushed and lowered her voice to a whisper, "I was told to meet someone here?"

"Name?" the V.I. asked politely?

"Mine or...?"

"Yours, sweetheart."

"Oh, uh... Ruby. Ruby...Rose." She bashfully looked around, but the only other inhabitant of the lobby was an elderly woman on her scroll.

"Here you are, dear," said the hologram, and a small plastic keycard was deposited from a slit in the front desk. "Room 10-34, floor ten, third—"

"I can find it, thank you." Ruby rushed passed the desk and into the hallway, keying the elevator doors open. A brief vertical passage and a short walk and Ruby found herself staring at the doorway that held so many promises...and risks.

_Ready or not..._

Ruby opened the room to find the violet-haired girl sitting at a sleek vanity, completely naked. She was brushing her damp hair and humming to herself.

The door closed abruptly and Ruby jumped at the noise. The girl, however, did not, and Ruby found herself once again staring into violet eyes through the mirror.

The huntress blushed and she put her hands in front of her, her foot pivoting on her toe in nervousness.

"Hello, Ruby Rose," the girl said, her voice light and airy.

"H-hello..."

The girl smiled. "Are you nervous?"

"I've never...never done this before," Ruby admitted.

"That's okay, luv," a slight Menageriean accent bled through and Ruby found herself wondering just where this woman was from, and who she was. "Call me Lila," she said, almost on cue.

"Lila," Ruby rolled the word around on her tongue, tasting it for the first time. It felt...refreshing. A name other than Weiss, a title other than 'Miss' or 'Mistress', something simple and uncomplicated.

Ruby found herself shuffling forward and Lilac turned and stood. She had milky white skin and small, perky breasts. She was shaved bare, completely devoid of any body hair. She was shorter than Ruby, which Ruby enjoyed.

Lila crossed to where Ruby stood, her feet crossing the cream carpeting with liquid grace, one leg in front of the other, seducing Ruby with her very movements.

When she reached the taller girl, Ruby had already shrugged off the kimono, leaving it to dangle from her elbows, exposing her bare chest. Lila's face never reddened, nor did she ever show any signs of hesitance. She knew what she was doing, and Ruby couldn't decide if she liked that or not. She let Lila's hands take over, and the kimono fell to the floor, revealing Ruby's own nudity.

Ruby's hair fell forward as she hid her face, her armored arm held firmly behind her back. She resisted, at first, to Lila's first tug, but acquiesced with a second and third pull. Lila held the metallic limb in her hands, the metal warming with Ruby's body temperature. Lila leaned down and kissed the knuckle that held the Vault key, her lips tracing their way up the metal and stopping just before Ruby's flesh.

She let out an exhale that brought goosebumps and Ruby let out a pent up breath at the sensation. Shivering with anticipation, she let herself be pushed back to the bed, her resistance and hesitance all but gone. Lila planted butterfly kisses across Ruby's skin, her milky white flesh making Ruby look tan in comparison.

Lila straddled Ruby, her bare, silken sex touching just above Ruby's soft, maroon tuft. It was just close enough to make Ruby wet, but Lila wasn't quite done yet. She slid forward, then backward, forward, and back. Ruby's chest and stomach quivered as the sensation sent pulses downward. Her legs clamped shut as she whimpered. Lila seemed lost in a world her own as she rode Ruby's body. She slid forward until she straddled Ruby's ribcage, and bent over, her back arching high, violet hair falling around Ruby's face.

A soft, minty kiss, but only briefly, before she was suddenly gone. Ruby was left bewildered for less than a second before something parted her legs and pleasure shot through her entire body.

Months she'd waited for this, _months_. Sure, she'd masturbated, but nothing compared to the act of someone else's touch.

"Yes..." Ruby hissed, her back arching, her bare left hand landing squarely on Lila's head, pushing her deeper into the soaked folds of Ruby's lust.

Ruby's thighs tightened and she had to consciously relax for fear of hurting the gorgeous head that was giving her just that.

Ruby writhed until as quickly as it had started, it disappeared. She whimpered slightly before strong, sure arms grabbed her thighs and flipped her over. "Wha...ohhhh..." her question melted away to gasps and moans as the short licks became long strokes, painting a picture of ecstasy across Ruby's sex.

She felt it building and the words where barely out of her throat when she came. Lila, somehow, was prepared and lapped up all of Ruby's juices, cleaning her completely, sending Ruby deep into throes of post-orgasm pleasure.

Ruby was still quivering as she remembered the first time Weiss had discovered Ruby's...secret. Weiss had not been prepared and caught an eyeful. Of course, they'd laughed later and considered it another of their treasured memories, exploring each other sexually—learning every secret, tick, desire, and fantasy.

Huffing, Ruby propped herself up on her elbows. The world slowly coming back into focus. The scarlet comforter was soaked and Ruby's body was slicked with sweat. Lila, sat up, the evening sun bathing her in its light, and Ruby felt a small pang in her chest.

"I..." she said, still catching her breath.

"Shhh, luv," Lila quickly responded, leaning forward and placing a finger to Ruby's lips. Ruby fell into Lila's arms and the shorter girl ran her fingers through the huntress' long hair. "When you're ready."

Ruby took a moment before she pushed Lila back, and the young woman fell back, letting Ruby take control. She lay with her head dangling off the foot of the bed, her body spread lewdly across the sheets. Ruby stared at the petite breasts and swollen, glistening mound that beckoned her. Lila was brazen, not shy, and Ruby growled softly, as a predator stalking its prey would. She was the huntress, and this woman, this evening, this basic, primal activity, was her prey.

With fierce gusto, Ruby buried her face in Lila, her lips kissing, her teeth nipping, her mouth suckling at the pink flesh in which she buried her face. Sweat and juices mixed, sweet and salty, and Ruby lapped at everything. Her left index finger ran over Lila's anus, and the young woman relaxed and took it as Ruby continued her feast.

Weiss had never been open to this kind of mischief, and even Ruby found herself surprised by her interest in something so taboo. However, she'd heard from Blake and it got her curiosity piqued, even if the conversation had her blushing redder than a tomato.

Lila bucked and twisted under the twin pleasure of Ruby's finger and tongue. Ruby reached up with her right hand and, for the millionth time, wished she still had feeling in that arm as she massaged Lila's breasts.

When Lila came, she did so with nary a sound. She lay there, her chest heaving up and down silently, her face flushed from the blood rushing to her head. She pulled herself up and she tumbled forward, falling onto Ruby's body as the girls fell backwards. Lila's face was close enough to Ruby's that the world was blocked by a wall of purple hair.

Ruby ran her armored hand involuntarily over Lila's left eye before realizing the scar wasn't there. This wasn't Weiss.

Lila took control again and Ruby lost her train of thought as their sexes collided. Deep purple eyes held Ruby's silver gaze as Lila thrust into Ruby. With her hands on Ruby's face, Lila never stopped staring at the maroon-haired lover, but Ruby found herself averting her eyes. The lovemaking became just another motion and Ruby's orgasm was hollow and empty. Lila shuddered and Ruby realized that her partner had climaxed as well.

All Ruby could think of was the first time she'd done that with Weiss. _This wasn't supposed to happen. I wasn't supposed to...feel this way..._ Ruby found herself with tears rolling down her cheeks.

Lila noticed immediately. "Ruby, luv, what's wrong."

"Th..." she croaked, "this."

Violet eyes widened and Lila sat up, straddling a softly sobbing Ruby. This definitely was not going according to plan, and Lila hesitated. She looked out the window at the now-setting sun, and smiled softly.

Her delicate fingers found the crease along the edge of her scalp and she peeled the wig off her head, letting starlight hair fall free down her back. She blinked a few times and the vanity dust dissipated as her eyes returned to their icy blue color.

Ruby stared up at the girl and let out a sob. "Lila" ran her hand over her eye, wiping away the make-up.

"Weiss..." Ruby let out before dissolving once more into tears.

"Oh, Ruby, I'm sorry." The heiress bent down and pulled Ruby into her bosom. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice at its familiar pitch and Valean accent.

Ruby reached around and wrapped Weiss into a tight, crushing embrace. "I _miss_ you, Weiss... I love you so much and I missed you so much."

"I know, Ruby," was Weiss' almost timid reply. "I never realized how much I'd been neglecting you, and you should always be my first priority. Always."

Ruby's voice rose, muffled by Weiss' shoulder. "I can't expect that of you. I know what you're doing is important."

"Not as important as you, Ruby."

Ruby smiled softly and pulled back, Weiss' slim fingers wiping away the tears. "Thank you, Weiss. Sorry I freaked out on you there." Ruby laughed, shortly, annoyed at herself. "And to think... This was supposed to be my fantasy."

Weiss laughed softly and the two fell into the bed, pulling the covers up and running their hands over each other gently. The sky was darkening and Ruby locked the image in her mind: Weiss, outlined in orange like a valkyrie from one of Nora's stories, her icy blue eyes not cold, but warm and full of affection, and long hair of moon- and starlight messy and splayed across the pillow.

"Weiss?"

"Yes, Ruby?"

"Will you marry me?"

"You asked me that yesterday."

"I'm gonna keep asking."

"And I'll keep saying 'yes.' Forever and always, Ruby Rose."

Ruby smiled softly and leaned forward, her eyes wet with tears—these, of joy.

"I love you," they said in unison.

* * *

_Author's Note: The inspiration for this..."fantasy" comes from a book I read a looooooong time ago called "Blue Thunder". Blah blah blah rocket science kids in university blah blah blah genius but mentally handicapped brother of a drunken former astronaut blah blah blah rocket crafted from abandoned railroad box cars, tankers, and phsyics defying spheres to provide unlimited thrust blah blah blah first people on Mars blah blah blah whole book series. Anyway, the main dude in that story meets up with his girlfriend, who's dressed as a hooker, and they bang. So it kind of inspired this, but then, like all of my story ideas, it grew a mind (and legs) of its own and ran away._

_So there you go! An X-rated ITM chapter. Again. Hehehe. I do love writing smut/fluff. Been too long since a good chapter of that._

_Enjoy!_


	13. In Which RWBY and SEAL Play a Game

_Author's Note: Colonel Zultan (Evan Zuelke) of Grimm Horizon, and I teamed up to present a RWBY vs SEAL match of Remnant: The Game! We hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as we enjoyed writing it!_

* * *

_**Two months after Cinder's invasion...**_

"Ruby, it's been a year now, okay? It's time to make friends outside of our team."

"I _have _friends outside of our team. Like JNPR!"

"They don't count!" Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Hey!" cried Jaune from across the hall.

"Look, Blake and Yang are already down in the library and Yang wants you to play, okay? Do it for her."

Ruby groaned and shoved the chair away from her desk, grimacing.

"I thought you loved Remnant: The Game," Weiss stated.

"I love the game, and I love my sister. I don't like meeting new people."

"Name three people outside of Team RWBY and Team JNPR that you know."

"There's Su—"

"And Team SSSN doesn't count because they don't go to Beacon. Ruby, you need to meet your fellow classmates."

Weiss definitely felt a little odd scolding Ruby now that she was so much taller and...well...looked like a supermodel. But in her defense, Ruby had pretty much shut herself away the entire first year at Beacon and after what went down during the Vytal Festival, Weiss felt the need to introduce her to some new people so she could branch out.

"Team SEAL is the same year as us, and we have several classes together. You should get to know them better, Ruby. Frankly, it almost seems insulting that they've fought by your side and you don't even know their names."

"Weiss...that's not fair."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Exactly, Ruby. It's not fair. So come on, let's go."

Ruby groaned and leaned backwards. Weiss sighed and kicked the chair legs out from under Ruby and Ruby crashed to the floor. With a puff of petals she was standing up and rubbing the back of her head. "Rude..."

"I'll drag you out by your ear if I need to."

"Fine, geez." Ruby pulled her hair back into a ponytail and threw on a simple black tank top that, most likely unintentionally, showed off her slim-yet-muscular build and her...assets. Weiss blushed and threw her cape at her.

"Thanks."

The clasp fastened and the cape fell to the floor. Any signs of battle damage had been fixed by Weiss weeks ago and the cape now completely fit Ruby's new height.

With one last annoyed groan, Ruby stepped out into the hallway, followed by Weiss.

* * *

"Looks like we have a new contestant, ladies and gentlemen!" Yang grinned at the sight of her sister being dragged in by Weiss.

"OH THANK GOODNESS!" Aaron shouted. He threw his cards down and Blake grinned evilly.

"Didn't think you'd give up so easily, Khan," she said as she laid down her clearly superior hand.

Aaron slammed his head on the table repeatedly, causing all the pieces on the board to jump around and jumble in a big pile. "I hate this game. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it," he mumbled dejectedly.

To his side, Lily giggled and ran her hand over his back, setting her cards down as well. Aaron cracked an eye open to see his girlfriend's hand was even better than Blake's and went back to sobbing against the dark oaken table.

"I wouldn't celebrate yet," Evan grinned. He leaned in close to Aaron's ear and whispered, "Ruby's even more vicious in this game than her teammates combined."

"That's it!" Aaron stood, sending his chair flying back into Spencer's stomach, who doubled over with an _oof_. "I quit! You blokes have fun, but I'm done." He made his way to the designated 'Crowd Seating' and sulked.

Next to him, Professor Azura giggled and squeezed his arm. He grumbled and shrugged her off. Cole laughed at that and leaned back, eager to watch the next match.

The rest of Team SEAL turned and watched Ruby as she took Blake's spot. Evan closed his jaw then looked down, mumbling about 'damn space-time bullshit.' Lily and Spencer just shook their heads. Ruby folded her arms over her chest and glared at them. Lily's curiosity got the better of her and she turned to ask, "Ruby, what was it like? In the vault, I mean."

"Lily!" hissed Spencer.

"How do you know about the Vault?" Weiss asked, sternly.

"It was—"

"I swear if you say 'Jaune'..." Weiss growled.

Lily shut her mouth and bit her lip.

"Well, we can tell you who it _wasn't_," Aaron chimed in.

"Dust take him..." Weiss mumbled.

"It's okay," Ruby spoke up. She set her armored hand on the table with a light _thunk_. Lily was immediately all over the armor, her tail wagging back and forth and her nose twitching.

"It's not not nearly as bulky up close as it looks!" she said with glee.

"Lily..." Spencer shoved his hand in his face and took a seat.

"Sorry, boss..." she pouted. "It's just so cool!"

Ruby flexed her hand and the keystone shone with a bright violet light. "Cool, huh? Never really thought about it. Only as a burden." Lily eyed Ruby, afraid she'd said the wrong thing. "Thanks, Lily!" Ruby smiled. "New perspective."

Lily smiled and wagged her tail before going to sit next to Blake. Evan took a spot next to Spencer, across from Yang and Yang reached for her Atlas deck.

"Nah ah ah!" Evan chided, "I play as Atlas. I _always_ play as Atlas."

Yang looked at Spencer as if to say _Tell him or I'll break his fingers._ Spencer merely grinned. "Hey, he has his own deck."

Evan produced a shiny deck of cards, bearing the cog and rapier of Atlas.

"Then dibs on Vacuo!" Yang grinned and reached for the pile of Vacuo cards on the board.

"Sorry, Yang." Spencer pulled out his own Vacuo deck, embossed with the shield and flame of Vacuo.

Ruby quietly pulled her own Vale deck from her cargo shorts pocket.

"Dammit..." Yang muttered. "Wanna play as Atlas but we can't have that, noooooo. Wanna play as Vacuo but we can't have that, noooo. Even my own sister..."

Ruby laughed softly and began to shuffle her deck as Yang cleared the other cards off the board, separating her stock Vacuo deck from the other cards.

Cole stood and started setting up the pieces for the group, while they shuffled. As Ruby sifted through her deck, a card fell from Cole's sleeve and into Ruby's lap.

"Professor..." she started, but he merely winked and patted her on the head before finishing setting up Grimm spawn points and sitting down.

Ruby looked down at the card and shuffled it into her deck. She looked around at her opponents: Yang, who was frowning at the unfamiliar cards in her hand, Evan who was grinning mischievously, and Spencer, who was stoic as a statue.

The board spanned all of Remnant, including Menagerie, which was going to be a new fifth nation in the next big expansion. The board even included a spot for the moon in the upper right corner, but no known card utilized this space and the official rulebook never mentioned it.

Hand-drawing phase, and Ruby drew four cards—Hero: Peter Port, Hero: Paladin of Courage, Semblance: Lava Wall, and Unit: Bullhead. Ruby eyed her Castle, which only had three walls, compared to the other kingdoms' four. However, her eastern side was covered by in impassible mountain that could only be breached by certain special cards. She was confident enough in her defense skills. She looked to Evan to play his first card.

Atlas, as always, went first, and Evan played Special Unit: Air Support Beacon, and grinned at Yang's anguish. With a flick of his wrist, his other three cards lay on the table face up. All Atlesian Battlecruisers. _Shit_. His Castle just became basically impenetrable. Evan redrew another four cards and grinned as a fourth Battlecruiser joined the fray.

Drawing back to four, he set his hand down. Spencer went next, as Vacuo was closest, anti-clockwise. He settled for a modest Special Unit: Desert Sniper unit to defend his Castle and also drew to four.

Now it was Ruby's turn and she played a standard Unit: Bullhead, trusting that with the mountain protecting her from the east, she could defend herself with a single airship, as long as she pushed out with her Hero cards early on. If the Grimm got up the mountain, she'd be done for.

Yang sourly slammed a card on the table and everyone saw that she was defending her Castle with...Unit: Housecat? Ruby laughed and Evan nearly fell out of his chair. Yang growled and her hair nearly started to blaze as Spencer tried his best to keep a straight face. "Laugh it up, guys." Yang's head found itself on the table in despair.

Evan shook his head and slapped down an Upgrade: Enhanced Tracking for his fleet. "Boom! Plus Three to all Accuracy rolls!"

Spencer answered the card with a Grimm Event: Migration, and moved all Grimm three spaces closer to any chosen kingdom. Vale being closest, he set them towards Ruby, who glared at the laughing man.

Ruby slapped down Hero: Peter Port, which drew a giggle from Azura in the seats behind her, and moved a hero figure onto the board. "Sorry, Spencer, but my Hero card lets me destroy one Grimm of my choice per turn." She chose the second closest Ursa and moved it to the pile of Grimm figures.

Yang moaned and threw out the card she'd just drawn last turn, a Unit: Bullhead card over her castle. However, with her Castle Guardian already chosen, the Bullhead was forced to move over the Walls, where it would lose the defense bonus of the Castle's Energy Shield. Evan rubbed his hands together in anticipation of obliterating Yang.

Ruby decided that as long as Evan took his time with Yang, she could focus on Spencer. The turns continued and Evan began building a massive air fleet, conquering all of Mantle and wiping out the Grimm in his home territory almost immediately. With the starting Grimm gone, the spawn rate for Mantle was cut in half, meaning less he'd have to worry about back home.

Spencer's plays were erratic and unpredictable, sending Desert Snipers and Guerilla Militias out into the desert on scavenging runs, which, thanks to his buff cards, were twice as fruitful, gaining him access to a few salvaged airships.

Ruby kept most of her Hero cards in her hand, saving her Paladin for the opportune moment. She dealt with Grimm by using Port to smite a Grimm each turn, and when they'd get too close, she'd send out a Vale Police Officer or another disposable single-unit card to dispatch the threat.

By the tenth turn, Evan had nearly crossed the ocean to bring his forces to bear against Yang, who was slowly being overrun by Grimm. Evan moved his ships closer and Yang got a sudden gleam in her eyes. She quietly played a simple grey card and Evan groaned. "Special Event: New Threat! When attacked by another kingdom, all local Grimm turn to battle the attacking player!" Yang laughed and Evan suddenly grinned as he played a trap card.

"Orbital Barrage Platform! If I roll a five or higher, I can wipe out all local Grimm!"

"Roll a four or less and you wipe out your own Castle!" Yang cried.

"Try me, Xiao Long," Evan's tattoo pulsed and he had a manic look in his eye.

His wrist flicked and the two dice fell from his grasp. The first landed on a one, the second one teetered on the edge between two and five. Yang's breath sucked in and Evan sat back slowly as the die settled on five.

"Dammit!" Yang yelled as Evan cleared Mistral of Grimm figures.

The battle phase ended and normal turns resumed, leaving Evan free to draw an extra card each turn with his Martial Law support card.

Spencer finally began to take action and Ruby stared in shock as his Desert troopers, ignoring all terrain effects, began circling her Castle and climbing the mountain. It would take another turn for them to be able to attack, but Ruby had her forces battling Grimm.

Out of desperation, Ruby slapped down her trump card early. Hero: Summer Rose. The onlookers all sat forward, Azura _oooh_ed and Blake eyed Ruby, trying to get a glimpse of what the girl was planning.

"Special ability triggered," Ruby said somberly. This card was her trump card, but it made her sad to use it, for good reason. "Send this card to the graveyard to clear the Valic mountain range of enemies."

Yang sat back, quietly, and a hush fell over the game board as Ruby quietly sent her mother to her death. All of Spencer's troops went to his own graveyard.

Ruby deftly whipped out another card, "Hero: Paladin of Courage, play immediately after another hero is sent to the graveyard. This Paladin gains double movement for the turn and his attacks are doubled for the next three turns." She moved the orange Paladin figure ten spaces, claiming the final areas of Vale and landing at the edge of Spencer's territory.

Spencer frowned and checked his hand. "Trap Card: Ursa Major, summon a neutral Ursa Major to any spot on your territory that an enemy is attacking. Attack of ten and defense of eight."

Ruby rolled her dice and eyed Spencer as she rolled four sixes. "Twenty-four, Spence. Now what?"

"I have eight dice to roll, I'm good," he laughed. He rolled eight ones.

His head fell against the table and Ruby regained her cheerful disposition as she survived his trap.

"Wait!" Spencer said, "You should've rolled only three dice. Territory effect! The Vacuo desert lowers attacks based on accuracy!"

"The Paladin of Courage attacks based on strength," Ruby said, "Plus, you have to be using a Vacuo specific card to trigger terrain effects. Grimm don't count." Ruby grinned triumphantly and Spencer went back to staring at his hand.

Evan's fleet was quickly approaching Yang's Castle and she pulled out a card and held it close to her face. "Evan Gwryddlas."

"Uh, yes?" he gulped.

"Summon Grimm: Drægon Swarm!"

"That's ultra-rare!" Lily cried with excitement.

Yang set it down and closed her eyes with satisfaction.

Evan snatched the card and stared in horror. "N-no dice roll? Knocks out attacking enemy air support? And you only have to skip the next two drawing phases? This has to be cheating..."

"I'm afraid not, Gwryddlas! Face your maker!" Yang reached for his fleet pieces.

"Not so fast, Xiao Long... Semblance: Snowstorm. Delay attacker action until the next turn."

"But that nullifies your accuracy card!" Yang said.

"Correct, but..." Evan grinned. "Trap Card: Retaliatory Missile Barrage!" He slammed the card down dramatically. "And! Enhancement: Void Dust Warheads! Your summon card is nullified but you still have to skip your next two drawing turns!"

"Wha—?" Yang whimpered.

"Followed by... Special Event: Orbital Drop Shock Robots, I get to bypass your soldiers and wall and attack your Castle Guardian directly! With a defense roll of one, I think your pretty kitty-cat is gonna bite the bullet." Evan laughed with delight.

Blake eyed Yang. She always got testy with the cat phrases. Yang's eyes turned crimson for a moment and she began to glow. "Oh, Gwryddlas..." she laughed, "YOU'VE JUST ACTIVATED MY TRAP CARD!"

"Every game... every single game..." Ruby muttered.

"Special Event: Intervention of the Gods! Special Event: Might of the Pantheon! Special Event: Divine Blessing! Legendary Hero: Sun Wukong!" Yang slammed all four of her cards down and pointed to her Housecat.

"In Mistral, Housecats are sacred. They protect the home from attackers and are believed to be the companions of gods," Blake explained.

There, on the card, was a small ivory column emblem, matched by emblems on all four of the cards Yang had just played. "In the event that my Castle is attacked, if the Housecat is defending it, I can play any and all cards in my hand that possess the Mistral Pantheon symbol!

Not only that, but I can summon up to two Hero or Legendary Hero cards from my deck or graveyard!"

"This has GOT to be cheating!" Evan cried.

"Now, I've already played one, but do you remember..." Yang sifted through her graveyard pile, "NEPTUNE OCEANIS?!"

"MOTHERFU—" Even stood and stalked away. Seven turns prior, Yang had used the Legendary Hero-god to wreak havoc with Evan's ocean-bound air fleet. The card had complete hydromancy powers and could summon cyclones to tear apart ground _and_ air forces.

With the Hero-god Sun Wukong also on the field, Yang had just turned catastrophic loss into a complete victory.

"Intervention of the Gods, all Legendary Heroes gain +2 Defense. Might of the Pantheon, all Mistral Pantheon Legendary Heroes gain +2 Strength. Divine Blessing, all Legendary Heroes gain +2 Range. Neptune's cyclones and Sun's monkey army have doubled in effectiveness! Face it, Evan! You're done!"

Yang laughed and laughed and Evan retook his seat. "Not yet, I'm not..."

He eyed the crimson-eyed psychopath and redrew his deck, immediately playing all four cards. "Remember that Atlas Innovation card I played a few turns ago that let me reorder my top twenty cards?"

"You didn't... You couldn't have..." Yang's face paled.

"I did. Of course, I had planned to wipe you out then use this on Ruby, but... You've forced my hand, so to speak." A grin broke across his face as he spread the cards out for all to see.

"Special Event: Emergency Deployment Protocols, summon a special Atlesian Dreadnaught to any location either in your own territory, or a territory you're attacking. Enhancement: Cyber Warfare, disable all enemy AI units for one turn, while all non-AI units roll one less die for five turns. Special Event: Exfiltration, summon all ground forces into your airships, removing them from the board, but not your playing field, and bolster all air ship attacks by +3."

Evan sucked in a breath, "And finally, Special Event: Tactical Nuclear Strike. A strike like this can only be triggered by a Dreadnaught. I roll twenty dice to decide damage, add the three from bolstering my attacks, and I think it is YOU who is done, Xiao Long!" Evan's eyes flared blue to match Yang's crimson.

She sat back down in her seat as Evan rolled his five dice four times.

"That's 98 damage, plus the 3 from bolstering, puts me at 101 damage. Defend against that!"

Yang tipped her castle over and sat back in her seat, Blake moving behind her to rub her shoulders and whisper comforting words in her ear. Blake wrapped her arms around Yang's neck and shoulders, hugging her. The blond kissed the bare arms that held her and sighed. "Well played, Evan."

"Well played yourself, Yang. Definitely had us fooled by taking Mistral as a last choice."

Spencer reached over and tapped his fist to Evan's and Ruby realized that she and Yang had just been played. Spencer distracted Ruby from helping Yang and that had left her wide open to a flanking movement by Evan's massive fleet.

Ruby scanned her cards and felt a presence behind her. _Weiss..._ Ruby felt relieved. Weiss had seen Blake comforting Yang and wanted to do the same for Ruby and that made Ruby feel..._whole_.

She scanned her hand. The plus side of a Hero-based deck was that she could hold eight cards instead of four, but they were all single units with a few trap cards in-between.

_I have... Oobleck, Paladin of Justice, Paladin of Rage, Dorothea Sky, Jack Crane, Terry Sky, and...oh...!_ Ruby smiled and turned to Spencer. "Well, well, well. Luring me into the Vacuan desert to use your terrain effects on me? Well played. Sandstorms, dust devils, quicksand, very clever, but... Hero: Dorothea Sky. When summoned, all terrain effects ignored. If Terry Sky is in player's hand, play as well." Ruby set both cards down. "Terry Sky, attack 0, defense 0. When played alongside Dorothea Sky, both cards gain +3 attack and defense."

Spencer frowned as Ruby moved her hero figures closer to his Castle. Evan quickly moved his fleet through Mistral before beginning his ocean passage. _Good. Three turns until he gets there. Three turns for me to beat Spencer._

Ruby turned and waited for Spencer to play his hand. "Ultra-rare Special Event: Desert Wind. Perform two turns back-to-back." Spencer shuffled his troops around then played another card. "Legendary Hero: Zathur Anubis, resurrect three cards at half attack/defense." Spencer pulled a Spider-Walker Tank, a Desert Sniper, and Legendary Hero: Osiris Seth, a card he'd used to cause quicksand to appear all over Ruby's territory earlier.

Spencer drew back up and then sat back as he watched Ruby's tactful gaze sweep over the map. She'd gained a few cards but then again, they weren't particularly helpful. She read the descriptions of her cards and her eyes widened. Gears turned and she began shuffling her hand around. _There!_

"Special Event: Grimm Incursion. Instantly spawn a random Grimm in every territory, enemy AND friendly." Spencer's eyes widened and he stroked his chin.

Ruby quickly distributed the pieces. "You realize they'll attack you, too, right?" Spencer asked, nervously.

"Yep!" Ruby grinned and sat back while Evan moved his ships.

"Then I'll end this in one blow. Ultra-rare special event!"

_Back to back!? _Ruby looked genuinely worried as Spencer pulled a card from his hand.

"Vacuan Desert Hurricane!"

Spencer knocked down Ruby's Dorothea and Terry figurines as the disaster eliminated both of them. Ruby laughed and slapped her two Paladin cards down. "Upon death of this card, summon any Paladins from your hand." Ruby read from her Dorothea card.

"Wait, what?" Spencer leaned over the table and read the card before it was thrown into the graveyard. "No!"

Ruby moved her Justice and Rage paladins into position, the white and red pieces right outside Spencer's Castle.

"Roll of Strength for Rage, and... 17! Roll of Strength and Accuracy for Justice, and...43! And since your Castle is at half health because of your Hurricane card, I can take it down in one shot!"

"I double city defenses with Dust: Earth Infusion!"

"I double attack power by sacrificing my Paladins!" Ruby smiled widely. "Anything else?"

"I submit. You beat me." Spencer tipped his Castle.

"With that, I take control of all Vacuan regions."

"I won't even have to attack!" Evan cried in excitement. "I can just let the Grimm slaughter you!" He moved his pieces into attack position regardless, taking out Grimm Nevermores and King Taijitus that surrouned Ruby's Castle. "But that's not my style. I like the thrill of the kill." His eyes flashed blue.

Ruby looked at Evan then did some counting. Besides her Glynda Goodwitch and Vale Arrowhead Fighter Jet, all of her units were destroyed. "That means..." she muttered. "They outnumber me two to one!"

She looked around at everyone who stared in confusion. "The Grimm!" She frowned as no one recognized what she was talking about. "Ugh. When the Grimm outnumber your forces two to one, it triggers a Cataclysm. Normally this is bad, but in this case, it's good!"

"Ruby, a Cataclysm means the Grimm gain control of your pieces and you lose..." Blake said hesitantly.

"Not if you lay down... Legendary Hero: Kryo Corona!" she slapped the shiny card down on the table and looked around to looks of confusion and surprise.

"I've never heard of that card, Rubes..." Yang said quietly.

"Is that official?" Aaron piped up.

"I don't think so," supplied Ren, who had started watching a few turns ago.

Azura and Cole shared a look, but before Cole could say anything, Lily's nose twitched. "It _smells_ official..." she frowned, her mouth moving from side to side. "Look it up?"

Yang pulled out her scroll and opened the Remnant: The Game companion app. "Guys, you're not gonna believe this. Ruby has a Unique card. 'The only one of its kind,'" she read, "'Kryo Corona takes advantage of a Cataclysm to occupy the moon space on the board. Any Grimm must obey the player who played Corona and no more Grimm spawn for the remainder of the match. However, Castle defense is lowered to one and the Guardian is destroyed.'

"Ruby, are you sure you want to play this?" Yang asked.

"I am." Ruby grinned at Evan, whose face drained of color. "I attack with a Giant Deathstalker..."

And so the game continued, each of Evan's ground forces being taken out by Ursi and Beowulves, his air ships taken out by Nevermores and Drægons. As Ruby's new Grimm armies moved towards the ocean, she made short work of Evan's forces until all that was left was his Castle and Guardians.

Four Battlecruisers were nothing to be laughed at, however, Ruby knew, and her own Grimm forces were dwindling. Ruby sent out Goodwitch, Oobleck, and Police Captain Michael Burns to cross the ocean in a Vale Airship.

"Um...uh... Trap: Mastodon Herd!" Evan frantically slapped down, his eyes blazing blue at this point.

"Evan, you mangy git, she can take control of it!" Aaron called out, "Oh for fu—" He rolled his eyes and went back to strumming his guitar, Jimmy.

"Oh, for the love of...would you shut that thing up?" Blake hissed at him.

Aaron shrugged and continued plucking away.

Ruby grinned and assumed control over the new Mastodon pieces.

"Fearless Soldiers!" He tossed the card out only to lose it to a Mastodon stamped. "Um... Special Unit: Colossus Mech!"

"Glynda Goodwitch Special Ability, I age your Colossus mech using Arc of Time!"

Ruby and Evan both stood up and began throwing cards at each other.

"Nanoswarm!"

"Gravity Spell!"

"Tidal Wave!"

"Hydromancy!"

"Giant Nevermore?"

"Taken. Sonic Screech Ability."

"Uh...Defensive Barriers?"

"Mastodon Siege Ability." Ruby grinned mercilessly. Spencer and Yang backed slowly away from Evan, who was visibly sparking at this point.

"Fine! IMMOLATION TECHNIQUE!"

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Weather: Rainstorm."

"How?" asked, his voice a rasp.

Ruby grinned. "I'm just _that_ good." She drew her final card. "Hero: Ruby Rose." She stood there, grinning like an idiot for a solid five seconds before she realized what she'd just played. "Wait, wait... I'M A CARD?!" She pulled the card back quickly and stared at it in shock. "I'm...on a card..."

She began to laugh and slapped it back down. "Semblance: Sonic Scythe. Little cheesy, but hey, dismantles all unites in a two tile radius."

"But that includes..."

"Your guardians."

Evan drew his final card. "Unit: Atlesian Knight-130..."

_Ouch..._ Ruby actually flinched, feeling his pain. The AK-130 card had become obsolete since the release of the AK-200 card. Most players used it as Grimm fodder or to bolster their air fleets, but with no air fleets to bolster, his card was useless.

"Submit, Evan?"

"I...admit defeat." He tipped his castle over and the library erupted into cheers. The elderly librarian glared at them and Ruby blushed slightly, mouthing _sorry_.

Everyone gathered around Ruby who leaned over the table and held out her hand. Evan drew several breaths, trying to calm his electricity before taking Ruby's armored right hand in his own and shook it. "Good game, Red. Let's play again, sometime, yeah?"

"Of course, Evan! I'd love to kick your ass again."

"Oh please don't start..." Lily groaned.

Weiss stood back and watched Ruby interact with her new friends. _Mission Accomplished._


	14. In Which OAQE Attends the Winter Formal

**Roughly One Year Prior to Part II**

Snow fell from the sky, drifting lazily in the cool Vale winter air. Grey clouds blanketed over soft blue and everywhere Janus looked, people were getting into the Solstice spirit. Everyone except him. He hated this time of year. Since his time at military school in Mistral, he'd never understood holiday traditions. The Legion only had one tradition around the Solstice, and that was an annual dice game that often ended up sending half the troops to the infirmary.

Yet, as the white fluff blanketed everything, Janus felt like maybe there was more to the season than getting drunk and gambling away your small wages. His breath fogged as he tightened his grey peacoat around him. Shops of all sorts were peddling wreaths, trees, and other holiday decorations, and families and couples dotted the streets. Janus felt a small pang at that, but quickly shoved it down. There is one family—the legion. A Legionnaire has only one wife—his weapon.

As he kicked the snow down the street in this foreign nation, his thoughts turned to his new team. They'd only known each other for a semester, but, they were a solid unit. Even if Duncan and Lia brawled every other day. Valentine kept to himself, preferring to tinker with Tiny Tybalt, his lever-action shotgun-sword. That, at least, Janus could respect. He spent just as much time polishing and sharpening Rubicon. Something of a brotherhood had formed between the two swordsmen, despite their lack of words. There was an odd thing about Valentine, like the man was holding back. He approached every fight with glee, and was rarely serious. Janus hoped to the gods that he never saw Valentine angry.

Absentmindedly, he scratched at his arm, a habit leftover from receiving his tattoo—a laurel leaf frame with the letters IPQM and the symbol of a dove. Underneath that were twelve black marks, almost like a barcode, indicating years serving in the Legion. While it was unusual for someone so young to have served so long, it was not unheard of. Janus had been born into the Legion, or so he had been told. The Legion refused to speak of his parents, as they had been classified Absque Nomen, 'without name.'

When he was younger, this had bothered Janus. How dare the Legion blot out good soldiers like his parents! Yet, as he grew, he understood the necessity of it all, and had even had members of his own cohort declared Absque Nomen. It was a necessary evil, to preserve the honor of the Legion.

Janus laughed aloud, dryly, and without humor. "Glory only to the Emperor, right, Praetor Brutus?" To utter the name was dishonorable, but then again, everything about Janus' commanding officer had been honorable. His legacy could stand a little staining.

"Who're ye talkin' ta?" came a soft voice behind Janus.

He whirled around, reaching for Rubicon, only to remember he left it in his dorm. However, his caution was not necessary, as it was only his team leader. She had her hair up in a rare ponytail and her tanned cheeks were flushed with rosy color.

"Ave, team leader." The words came instinctively, but he managed to suppress the salute. Thankfully, he found himself doing that less and less, but still slipped up when someone surprised him.

"At ease, ya dafty." She giggled and Janus frowned slightly. The sound was...not unpleasant. "What ye doin' out in the cold wi'nae a scarf?" she asked. Janus noticed a thick band of red fabric in her hands.

"I had not thought about it. After wintering in Legion tents, the cold does not bother me anymore. We campaigned in Atlas once. Their winters put this to shame."

Opaelia raised an eyebrow. Janus only talked in full sentences around her, and she'd noticed. She stifled a grin and looped the fabric over the tall boy's neck, desperately resisting the urge to use the scarf as a bridle to pull him down to her and—_Lia! Ge'hold o' yerself, ya numpty_.

The awkward moment passed and Janus straightened, throwing the scarf tail behind him and adjusting it around his neck. It was warm.

"These people are strange," Janus remarked to himself, before remember his company. "What are the winters in Atlas like?"

A twinkle in her eye and she asked quietly, "I thought ye said ye been ta Atlas."

"With the Legion. In tents. Outside of cities." He slipped back into his broken speech, kicking the snow again.

"Colder," she said with a grin, "but we have our own traditions, too."

"Tell me." He said it almost like an order.

With a sly smile, she obliged. "Well, fer one, they stole the wreaths from our highland clans. The evergreen represents the lastin' circle o' life and death. Sometimes, they're made from holly, which represents perseverance through hard times. Even amid the thorns, ye can grow berries."

She looked up at Janus to see him staring at the difference market stands still open. Small fires contained in stylized barrels dotted the sidewalks. While technologically Vale could easily heat the streets with electric heaters, the fires seemed to be another strange tradition in this land. A small ghost of a smile danced across his grey lips briefly and Lia's heart felt like it had stopped for a moment. Then those piercing stormy grey eyes of his fell back to her.

"Thank you," he said, almost emotionlessly. He clasped a fist to an open palm, held it in front of his chest, and bowed in the Mistral style. "The scarf is...warm."

Lia smiled and began to reach out, but thought better of it. Her hand fell to her side and she nodded. "O' course. Stay...warm," she giggled again and turned back around.

After wandering around for a few more hours, she made her way back to the air-bus stop and took the ride back to Beacon. When she got to her dorm, she noticed that a simple evergreen wreath hung from the door. She smiled and touched the entwined pine branches.

What she did not expect was the sight inside. Strands of white and ice-blue lights laced across the ceiling, all meeting at the focal point in the center of the room. The beds had been rearranged to make way for a tree that was barely short enough to fit in the room. The lights from the ceiling all met at the top of the tree and wrapped around it, cocooning it in icy light. Where the white and blue hung from the ceiling, red lights lit up the tree from deep in its branches. Lia's hand flew to her mouth and she gasped, not at the tree, or the lights, or the rearrangement of the room without her permission, but to the simple holly wreath that dangled from the footboard of her bed. The red berries sat in contrast to the green leaves and small brown thorns. She looked around, but Duncan and Valentine were nowhere to be seen. Her eyes turned to the window, which they'd discovered early on led to a small balcony. Janus sat there, his face buried in the scarf, his eyes closed.

* * *

"Och!" cried Duncan as he shimmied past the pointed branches of the tree in the center of the room. "Who's brilliant idea?" he asked, sourly.

"Touch the tree, an' I keel-haul yer sorry arse!" came Lia's response from the tiny side-bathroom.

"Hurry up in'ere, ye troll. I's no' like any amount o' makeup is gonna make ya any less haggard!" He started knocking on the door repeatedly, wearing nothing but his long pajama bottoms. His hair fell loose around his neck, wavy and frizzy outside of the normal braided patterns.

The sliding door opened slightly and Duncan leaned in only to get a fist to the nose and the door slid shut again. Valentine laughed softly and went back to his weapon, dismantling it on his bed, polishing everything, then reassembling the complex device. He'd gotten it down to two minutes, and was going for one.

Janus simply shook his head, grabbed a duffle bag, picked up his scroll, and left, heading down to the public bathrooms.

With a huff, Duncan set his stuff down, and shouted, "Fine, ye bampot! Ye win!"

Awkwardly, he began to dress. Valentine quickly averted his eyes and went back to reassembling Tiny Tybalt. Val had been the first to be completely ready, choosing to wear the provided attire, for those without any formal dress to their names. Everyone had stared at him, the boy who always took the detention rather than wear the school uniform. He'd just grinned then grabbed the wrists of his suit top and yanked the entire sleeve off of each arm, revealing his muscular arms. The thick metal piercings in each shoulder were polished and gleaming, the screw holes oiled. He'd debated on whether or not to wear the giant spikes, but decided against it. Should he find himself in the mood, he didn't want to scare anyone away with the giant jewelry.

Duncan was muttering and cursing to himself as he slipped on the white collared shirt and tied the black tie around his neck. Then he slipped on the deep violet vest, buttoned it up, and finished with the suit jacket.

That's when it got awkward, and Valentine almost left the room. In highland tradition, the plaid kilt went on very last, so Duncan awkwardly shuffled out of his pajama pants and began to assemble the rest of the outfit, almost wishing he'd just stuck with the traditional Vale tuxedo.

After the hose, flashes, and brogues were assembled on his legs, he began to fiddle with the fly plaid and broach, making sure the fabric fell comfortable from his left shoulder. After the cape-like attire was attached successfully, he turned to the final pieces of his ensemble: the plaids.

He folded the fabric delicately, and gently. This was a sacred part of the traditional clothing, and he couldn't mess it up. _Not that anyone would notice,_ he thought. _Well...except for her..._

Finally, he was ready, and he wrapped the fabric around himself before clipping it closed. He threaded the belt through the loops and fastened the clasp closed. Finally, the sporran—a thick leather pouch that dangled from the front of the kilt. He delicately threaded the sterling chains through the loops of the kilt, then fastened them behind him. The pouch wasn't overly ornate, but it was more than would be required for a school dance. He was immediately self-conscious of the gold and sterling silver trimming and fine horse hair tassels. The craftsmanship was excellent, and normally he wouldn't go all out but then..._her._

He cleared his throat and Val turned his gaze back. "Nice!" he said simply, grinning. His exposed black-and-gold eye twinkled.

"Thank ye," he nodded respectfully at Val then turned his attention back to the bathroom door. "Now if SOMEONE would hurry their arse up in there!"

His shouting fell short as the door opened. There she stood, all five feet, five inches of her. Val and Duncan both had their mouths agape and Lia shuffled back and forth, nervously. "Stop starin', ye idjits..."

"Well," Duncan swallowed the lump in his throat, "least ye dinnae look like a troll anymore."

The last thing Duncan saw was a fist flying towards his eye.

* * *

Janus straightened his black swallowtail coat and rolled his shoulders. The rest of his team had already been shown in, according to the doorman. The crimson cape that dangled from his shoulders felt oddly awkward as he saw students around him dressed only in the provided formal dress, or in most of the girls' cases, simple dresses. He was way overdressed.

_A Praetor must set an example, _he reminded himself. Setting his face into an emotionless mask, he approached the doorman, who dramatically pulled the wide oak door open. The girl taking attendance was short and bubbly and talked too much. Janus quickly flashed his scroll and she took his name down. He then brushed past her and began the search for his team.

Valentine was the easiest to find, being the tallest student in the room, other than Janus himself. A slightly nicer-than-normal black bandana covered the boy's long brown hair, and his eyepatch's filigree was polished to a shine. The large hoops that dangled from his ears matched the golden twinkle in his eye.

"Ave, Praetor," he said quietly. Janus was grateful that _someone_ around here knew the proper way to greet a commanding officer in the Legion.

"Ave, Escalus Valentine." Janus waited a moment, but it seemed the greeting was all Val was willing to do. The taller boy cleared his throat and looked around the dance hall, searching for everyone else.

"Dance floor," Val supplied, nodding his head towards the large, hardwood area of the floor occupied solely by couples dancing.

Couples whirled by and Janus' eyes searched and searched until, finally, he spotted Duncan's signature side-braids. They were far more elaborate than normal. Yet it wasn't Duncan that had Janus nearly gasping for air.

She stood as regal as a queen, her hands on his waist and shoulder. The long, black dress was gorgeous, consisting of a glossy silk strapless wrap that fell from her chest, parting at the left hip to reveal soft matte black satin beneath. Yet the dress was only the beginning, and Janus _actually gasped_ as he saw her face. She never wore makeup, ever. She didn't need. it. Yet, her she was, with subtle hints of dark eyeliner and shadow. The red stripes of her clan marks were muted under a thin layer of foundation and blush. With her naturally tapered eyebrows and bright teal eyes, she really looked like one of the fabled highland ladies, said to be so fair as to cause wars.

Lia caught Janus staring, and her face reddened slightly. Duncan turned to see what had caught his partner's eye and excused himself, nodding to both Lia and Janus.

As Janus stepped closer, he saw the intricate curls and tiny white lilies woven into her creamy blonde hair. She smelled of cedar, sandalwood, and cypress. The scent aroused memories of walking through a forest, and Janus caught his mind wandering—a picture of them, together in a midnight wood.

With a shake of his head, he stood in front of her, and flashed a rare half smile. Her eyes roamed over his tall body, taking in the dark suit, glossy black boots, white dress gloves, and multiple medals that adorned his right breast. She reached out and touched one in particular—a black 'x' hanging from a red banner.

"For rising above and beyond the call of duty despite extreme circumstances," he explained quietly. "I received this after I chose to stay with the Legion after my parents' death and banishment." He reached out and brushed the dark silver pendant that dangled from her slender neck. The trio of teal stones set into dark silver the same color as his steel eyes... No, it couldn't be. He looked down into her eyes. "Ave, team leader," he whispered.

Pairs of students floated by to the melodic voice of the live singer. The song was slow and Janus gestured slightly. Lia nodded, "Aye. I'd love ta dance with ye."

The two took their place and Janus gently placed his hands upon her hips. She reached up and draped her arms over his shoulders and around his neck, grateful that she was wearing high heels.

As the song came to a close, Janus found himself unwilling to break away, even as some of the couples cleared off of the dance floor. The woman who was singing took a moment to drink some water while the next music track loaded. Janus' ears perked as he heard the familiar tune begin. The language was ancient, from some island between Atlas and Mistral. He remembered camping there during their Atlas campaign. The whole island was full of strong warriors who had driven the Grimm from their home by sheer force of will. Had they thirsted for it, war would've come easily for these people.

As it was, they were a loud, boisterous, but kind people. Janus had thoroughly enjoyed his days on that magical island where the woman were just as brazen as the men and could hold twice their liquor. Janus almost laughed as the song began to play and memories of his mother singing the same tune to him came forward.

_Du kan om du vil_  
_Ingen kan ta ditt valg_  
_Bare plante tvil_  
_Det er så mange veier å gå_  
_Mange mål som kan nåes om du våger_  
_Å tro på at du har det som skal til_

_Vi har alle tvil_  
_Spørsmål om valg_  
_Er dette det du vil_  
_Det er så mange hensyn å ta_  
_Mange strenger som drar hver sin retning_  
_Frykten for feiltrinn kan mørklegge alt_

_Vi har alle tvil_

_Men det vakreste du har_  
_Er et lys som skinner klart_  
_Og det bor det inne i deg_  
_Et kompass som lyser opp din natt_

_De vet ingenting_  
_De har ingen svar_  
_Det er det kun du som har_  
_Det er så mange veier å gå_  
_Mange mål som kan nåes om du våger_  
_Å tro på at du har det som skal til_

_Vi har alle tvil_

_Men det vakreste du har_  
_Er et lys som skinner klart_  
_Og det bor det inne i deg_  
_Et kompass som lyser opp din natt_  
_Men det vakreste du har_  
_Er et lys som skinner klart_  
_Og det bor det inne i deg_  
_Et kompass som lyser opp din natt_

At the look on Lia's face, Janus leaned in, his lips almost against her neck, and began to sing the translation.

_You can do it if you want_  
_No one can take your choice_  
_They only plant doubts_  
_There are so many ways to go_  
_Many goals that can be reached if you dare_  
_Believe that you have what it takes_

_We all hold doubts_  
_Fears about paths_  
_Is this what you want?_  
_There are so many concerns we have_  
_Many strings going opposite ways_  
_The fear of mistakes blinds you to everything_

_We all hold doubts_

_But the most beautiful thing you have_  
_Is a light that shines brightly_  
_And that lives inside_  
_A compass that lights up your night_

_They know nothing_  
_They have no answers_  
_It is only you_  
_There are so many ways to go_  
_Many goals that can be reached if you dare_  
_Believe that you'll have it all_

_We all hold doubts_

_But the most beautiful thing you have_  
_Is a light that shines brightly_  
_And that lives inside_  
_A compass that lights up your night_  
_For the most beautiful thing you have_  
_Is a light that shines brightly_  
_And that lives inside_  
_A compass that lights up your night_

Lia's eyes widened and watered slightly. Janus' voice was a soft baritone, and somehow was able to focus on the translation. The effect was a multi-lingual melody in either of her ears. The lyrics were as beautiful as the voices delivering them.

When the song was done, Lia asked quietly, "Did ye ever think ta be a singer instead o' a hunter?"

He just smiled at that. "The Legion is not one to shirk artists. We cultivate painters, musicians, authors, poets, and, yes, even singers. Nothing terrifies an enemy than a singing army." The way he said it was meant as a joke, but it had a kernel of truth. The Legion's battle songs would often end conflicts before the real fighting even began.

As the next several songs came and went, and even when they switched from the vocalist to a soundtrack, Lia and Janus just rocked back and forth gently on the dance floor, spinning ever so slowly. Neither of them wanted to let go and be the one to end the moment, so they didn't. Even when the faster, more upbeat songs came on, the just found themselves on the fringes of the floor, trying to keep out of the way.

Janus softly told stories of the Legion, and of his parents, while Lia recanted her days in the highlands and all the hell she raised with her cousins. Janus found himself falling in love with the soft, melodic, accented voice that passed between her full lips. The sudden desire to kiss her struck him like a punch in the gut, leaving him breathless.

She noticed.

"Are ye okay?" she asked, the worry in her voice made Janus weak at the knees. _She was worried. For _him_!_

"I am...okay," he said, slowly. "Actually," he straightened, took a step back, and offered his gloved hand. "I am better than 'okay.'"

She took his hand, her pulse fluttering in her throat as she stared up at him. This was not how she imagined the night going. This was not how she imagined...anything of romance. Raised around her rough cousins, it was learn quick or suffer defeat and ridicule. She prided herself on being a tough badass. This feeling, this weak-kneed nervousness, this was new to her.

And she loved it.

He led her out of the hall, up a few flights of stairs, and out onto a rooftop. The sky was gray with clouds, save for one small patch where the broken moon shone like a beacon of light. Soft snowflakes drifted in the air. They fell against Lia's hair and skin, melting against her warm flesh. She stared at Janus as he tilted his head skyward to catch the frosty precipitation on his cheeks. His pale skin flushed with red at the temperature change.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and lowered his gaze to the woman beside him. His hand still held hers.

Her lips parted slightly, the air steaming in front of her.

His heart raced. Years with the Legion had not prepared him for this. Right now he was pure instinct. Gently, he brushed his now bare knuckles against her warm, slender neck.

"Janus?" she breathed.

"Lia..." he said softly.

Slowly, he leaned in...

* * *

_Author's Note: There you have my very first fluff piece written for Team OAQE of the "The White War Arc". I hope you all enjoyed it! This love qudrangle is going to be so much fun to write! Of course, myself and my co-author for this segment are very much in favor of what we're dubbing "Red Lily" (Janus/Lia), there's still a lot more to come for "Loch Ness" (Duncan/Lia) and "Italian Soda" (Val/Lia)._

_Hopefully, I'll have another Part II chapter up here soon. Work has me utterly exhausted. Hope you all are having a great holiday season!_


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